BUDGET/HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA): “Some states risk running out of money for a children’s health program in a countdown that is pressuring Congress to approve new money quickly, part of a continuing funding delay that has turned a little-known insurance program into an unwelcome embarrassment for Congress.
Democrats and Republicans agree on the need to preserve funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, which covers about 9 million low-income children. Its formal funding ended Sept. 30.
But the two parties disagree on how to pay for it, so states have been getting by on reserve funds and a short-term $2.85 billion allocation that Congress passed in December that made money available for use through March. The funding had been expected to cover all states through January or the end of February…
The funding delay is burdening states and prompting criticism of Congress from detractors who complain that even popular measures can’t get through…
Pressure is mounting to do something this month, possibly as part of a government funding bill. Some states are concerned Congress will provide another funding patch instead of a five-year reauthorization.”
-Stephanie Armour, “States in Limbo as Lawmakers Disagree on How to Pay for Children’s Health Program,” The Wall Street Journal online, Jan. 10, 2018 10:05am