Congress Comes Through On CHIP, Falls Short On Other Critical Public Health Programs
Yesterday, Congress passed and the President signed a continuing resolution to fund the federal government until February 8, 2018. Included in the legislation is a six-year funding extension for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
1,000 Days supports long-term funding for CHIP. Nearly 9 million children and 370,000 pregnant women depend on CHIP for their health coverage. Since last September, Congressional inaction left millions of families wondering if their children would be able to access the health care they need or if their state would announce an end in coverage. Yesterday those fears were finally put to rest.
However, yesterday’s bill does not include a deal to fund other critical health programs that expired at the end of September 2017, such as Community Health Centers and the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program. And there remains no agreement on a budget for the rest of this fiscal year ending September 30, jeopardizing continued funding for many additional programs that support the health and well-being of women and children.
1,000 Days calls on Congress to finish their work and fund these important programs, putting the needs of young children and their families first.