WCCF Thanks Senate for Renewing Children’s Health Coverage

The U.S. Senate voted 92-8 this evening to pass a health care bill that includes funding for a two-year extension of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).  The 92-8 vote Tuesday evening follows passage of identical legislation in the House and demonstrates that members of Congress overwhelmingly support the CHIP program and understand it is vital to keeping kids across the country healthy.

The extension of federal funding for CHIP is part of a $211 billion legislative package intended to fix the Medicare provider payment system. The bill also extends the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program, which, like CHIP, has been shown to improve the health and development of children, while increasing children’s school readiness and their family’s economic stability.

“When children’s health was on the line, the U.S. Senate stepped up for millions of kids nationally and tens of thousands of Wisconsin children,” said Ken Taylor, executive director of the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families. “Today’s vote demonstrates the very broad public support for CHIP and for getting children the health care coverage they need to succeed.”

CHIP provides critical financial support for Wisconsin’s BadgerCare program, which makes health care coverage available to children in families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but don’t have access to affordable health care. As a result of CHIP’s implementation, coverage rates for kids across the country are at a historic high of close to 93 percent.

The bill extends funding for CHIP for an additional two years. An amendment to extend it for four years failed today on a 50-50 vote. Advocates are very disappointed that the amendment failed but pleased the future of CHIP has been assured until September 2017.

Both of Wisconsin’s Senators voted for final passage of the bill.

Read more about the bill’s passage in this evening’s New York Times article.

Jon Peacock