What happens to CHIP if government shuts down
Congress needs to reach some sort of spending deal by 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 20, or else the federal government will partially shut down. The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which hasn’t been reauthorized in months, was wrapped in talks over a short-term spending deal, and if funding isn’t renewed, states may have to end benefits for some of the nine million children it covers.
The House passed a one-month spending bill on Jan. 18 that included a six-year extension of CHIP. The reauthorization had become more affordable, according to the Congressional Budget Office, because of the repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate.
“As we move to get CHIP over the finish line, we will also continue our work to quickly advance the remaining public health and Medicare extenders, delivering the certainty these folks depend on,” House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Oregon, and Health Subcommittee Chairman Michael Burgess, MD, R-Texas, said in a statement.
The bill also suspended the ACA’s medical device tax. The 2.3 percent tax had been temporarily delayed in 2016 and 2017 before taking effect Jan. 1 and would be suspended for two years under the House legislation.
The bill faces long odds of passing in the Senate due to demands from Democrats for other measures to be included. Read more at the Washington Post:
John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.