WASHINGTON, DC - A bipartisan group of House and Senate committee leaders are seeking insights on the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) from all 50 governors.
House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), Ranking Member Henry A. Waxman (D-CA), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-UT), joined together on a letter to the governors requesting information on whether and how CHIP should be extended and what additional policy changes should be made related to that program. CHIP funding expires at the end of fiscal year 2015. The Senate Finance Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee have jurisdiction over CHIP.
“Because CHIP is a federal/state partnership, it is critical for Members of Congress to receive analysis and insights on CHIP from our state partners," the bipartisan group wrote in the letter to governors.
The letters ask six detailed questions about the relative success of the program, adequacy of existing funding and duration of additional funding, and how CHIP coverage compares to coverage available through state employers or the state Exchange. The lawmakers asked for a response by the end of October.
CHIP was enacted in 1997 to provide health insurance coverage for uninsured children in low- to moderate-income families. Since that time, enrollment has grown steadily, with more than 8 million children covered through CHIP last year.
Read the complete letter online here.
