Millions Of Kids Might Lose Health Care Because Congress Dropped The Ball

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I am curious about how the "pro lifers" feel about this issue.

 

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/children-losing-health-care-congress_us_5a3acf2de4b06d1621b18630?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

Parents are scared, state officials are scrambling and Congress is about to go on vacation.

By Jeffrey Young

Congress’ failure to renew a program that provides health care to low-income children by year’s end could cause almost 2 million kids to lose their coverage as soon as next month.

That’s according to a report published Wednesday by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. Federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which is jointly run and financed by the federal government and the states, expired nearly two months ago. The program covers about 9 million children in the U.S.

But the GOP-controlled Congress, which made time to pass a sweeping tax billthat largely benefits corporations and the rich, didn’t get around to reauthorizing CHIP ― and now millions of children are in jeopardy.

States are rapidly running out of money to pay these children’s medical bills, and several have started notifying parents that their kids’ health care is poised to disappear. At least 14 states plan to terminate CHIP by the end of January, according to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

Andrew Montoya, 35, of Longmont, Colorado, got a letter from the state government last month notifying him that his three daughters ― Audrey, 8, Katrina, 5, and Scarlett, 3 ― might wind up uninsured because of Congress’ inaction.

“They need to stop playing politics with our kids,” said Montoya, an attorney at an organization that provides assistance to people with disabilities.

Montoya and his wife, Nicole, were both uninsured for most of their lives before the Affordable Care Act became law and they qualified for tax credits to reduce their monthly premiums. CHIP is called Child Health Plan Plus in Colorado.

“We qualify because my income working as an attorney for a nonprofit organization is not very high,” Montoya said.

He ran the numbers and discovered that adding his daughters to his health insurance policy would increase the cost by $450 to $650 a month, which he can’t afford on his salary. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) has asked the state legislature to fund CHIP until Congress acts.

Read the full article at: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/children-losing-health-care-congress_us_5a3acf2de4b06d1621b18630?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

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This is an issue our recent senator elect campaigned hard on. Hope we reach a resolution soon. We rely on CHIP, called All Kids here in Alabama, a lot.