WASHINGTON—Earlier today the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing to examine the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Community Health Center Fund. The National Governors Association (NGA) commends Congress for focusing on these critical programs and issues the following statement:
“Governors urge Congress to act quickly to extend funding for CHIP at the current enhanced match, which currently expires at the end of September, to provide certainty for states and millions of working families.
According to the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, every state will exhaust its federal CHIP allotments at some point in the next fiscal year if Congress does not act to extend the program. If funding is not immediately restored, states will have no choice but to begin notifying families, altering provider contracts and taking other steps to terminate their programs, regardless of any later assurances Congress may provide about extending the program.
Again, governors ask Congress to immediately extend CHIP, which has had bipartisan support since 1997.”
NGA’s Health and Human Services Committee sent a letter to Congress in May outlining governors’ priorities for any CHIP reauthorization bill.
