Twelve governors of both parties are urging Congress to reauthorize funding for a popular children’s health insurance program as soon as possible.
The recommendation involving the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, came in a letter to congressional leaders earlier this month.
Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich (KAY’-sik) and Democratic Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper led the letter-writing effort. It was joined by the governors of Alaska, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Virginia.
Fresh funding for the $14 billion CHIP program ran out Oct. 1. Since then, some states have relied on unspent funds. Others got a short-term reprieve in the two-week spending bill President Donald Trump signed Dec. 8.
The governors said funding the program “without disruption” is something they can all agree on.
In Ohio, CHIP eligible children will remain covered through Medicaid.
Forty percent of children in Fayette County are covered by CHIP/Medicaid, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
