Executive Summary
More than 120 public interest groups are calling on Congress to take immediate, bipartisan action to enact a five-year funding extension for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Since its inception in 1997, CHIP, together with Medicaid, has helped to reduce the numbers of uninsured children by a remarkable 68 percent. With CHIP funding set to expire on September 30, 2017, now is the time for Congress to stabilize the CHIP funding stream and protect the gains in children’s health coverage that have resulted in more than 95 percent of all children in America being enrolled in some form of insurance coverage. The National Health Law Program (NHeLP) was among the groups to sign the letter. Others signing on include: American Academy of Pediatrics, Children’s Defense Fund, Children’s Dental Health Project, Children’s Hospital Association, Family Voices, First Focus, March of Dimes, and the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners.
