Thread: Governors implore Congress to renew children's health funding

Governors implore Congress to renew children's health funding

11/30/17 01:04 PM EST



The National Governors Association is urging Congress to fund critical health-care programs — including the Children’s Health Insurance Program and community health centers — before the year ends.

Lawmakers failed to reauthorize money for CHIP, health centers and other health programs by Sept. 30. The funding lapse has frustrated officials and advocates, who say the uncertainty is causing angst for those charged with running these programs.

“These disruptions have not been without consequences, and we write to convey that further delay into 2018 will only compound the issues facing our states and vulnerable citizens,” the leaders of the NGA’s Health and Human Services Committee wrote in a letter Wednesday to congressional leaders in both chambers on behalf of the association.

On Monday, congressional aides and lobbyists said progress was being made on a bipartisan deal to fund these programs by the year, though one has not yet been announced.

CHIP programs are funded by both the state and federal government.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has given nearly $607 million in redistributed funds to help states continue to run their CHIP programs. Five states and Washington, D.C., could run out of money by the end of December or early January, according to an Oct. 25 report from the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute’s Center for Children and Families.

“Absent congressional action, states will be forced to take steps including the notification of thousands of families of the loss of CHIP health care coverage. Taking steps to avoid those worst-case outcomes places a tremendous administrative and financial burden on states and sows confusion among vulnerable populations,” the letter states.

At issue for community health centers is the expiration of a fund that represents about 70 percent of federal grant dollars for these centers, which serve roughly 26 million of the nation’s most vulnerable people. The centers haven’t seen less money, but they might soon, as about 25 percent of health centers’ grant periods begin on Jan. 1 and another 17 percent on Feb. 1, according to a spokesperson for the Health Resources and Service Administration.

The uncertainty has created anxiety for health centers and has already led to hiring freezes.

The House passed a bill on a party-line vote to fund both CHIP and community health centers with Democrats decrying how Republicans wanted to pay for the bill. The Senate Finance Committee passed a bipartisan, five-year CHIP bill but hasn’t released the legislation’s offsets.

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare...health-funding

Do not fund this program!

It is nothing more than a Democrat sham to give free healthcare to illegal aliens and their anchor babies.

@realDonaldTrump • 7 hours ago If a child wants healthcare he/she should get a JOB.
No more handouts! Nothing was ever handed to me.
With a small loan of a million dollars I picked myself up by the bootstraps! #MAGA

NO CHIP FUNDS

NO HEALTHCARE TO REFUGEES, ASYLUM OR ILLEGAL ALIENS!!!

FREE VASECTOMIES AND TUBAL LIGATIONS...CAN'T AFFORD YOUR OWN CHILDREN...DO NOT HAVE THEM!

WE ARE NOT GOING TO WORK EVERY DAY TO PAY THESE BILLS FOR OTHERS! PAY YOUR OWN DAMN BILLS!

GUT THE WELFARE AND FOOD STAMP PROGRAMS...NO MORE SCREWING FOR TAXPAYER DOLLARS.

Excerpt:

• The following groups may be eligible for Medicaid and CHIP:

– Qualified non-citizens who entered before 8/96

– Qualified Immigrants who reach end of 5 year waitingperiod (i.e LPRs/green card holders)

– Qualified Immigrants exempt from 5-year waiting period(e.g., Refugees, Asylees, Cuban/Haitian entrants, TraffickingVictims, Veteran families)

• No federal funding to cover undocumented immigrants, exceptfor payment for limited emergency services

https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/ou...d-and-chip.pdf

Moved thread - Refers to government agency, not immigration. Although one could argue that this program is abused by illegals and their anchor babies.

Originally Posted by MW

Excerpt:



https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/ou...d-and-chip.pdf

We all know the law MW.

However, states do not enforce verification.

California being the worst offender.

Originally Posted by lorrie

We all know the law MW.

However, states do not enforce verification.

California being the worst offender.

Actually, I disagree that everyone knows the law. Maybe some do, but I seriously doubt everyone does. However, I do agree with you that some states are probably very lax on the verification requirements, especially California.

For anyone that is not aware of the requirements:

https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/ou...d-and-chip.pdf