6-Year CHIP Extension Looks Likely After CBO Numbers Show 'It May Have No Cost'

The funding has been held up in Congress because of disputes over how to pay for the program. But those arguments might be moot now that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects that extending funding would save the government $6 billion over a decade because providing coverage through CHIP is more cost effective than other government-funded coverage, such as Medicaid or subsidized marketplace coverage. Meanwhile, doctors and families take steps to protect against a further-protracted funding lag.

The Hill: GOP Chairman Eyes Floor Action For CHIP Next Week

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) said on Thursday that he is aiming to bring a six-year reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to the floor next week. Speaking to reporters, Walden pointed to new Congressional Budget Office estimates as the catalyst that broke the logjam over funding for the program, which covers 9 million children. (Weixel, 1/11)

CQ: House Weighs Six-Year Children's Health Funding Extension

The House is weighing a longer-term funding renewal of the Children's Health Insurance Program after a new preliminary estimate from the Congressional Budget Office revealed that the program would not have to be offset. The offsets had been a point of contention between both parties. Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden said lawmakers are now discussing a six-year reauthorization of CHIP, which may have no cost to the federal government. It was not immediately clear whether a package would be included on a Jan. 19 spending bill or could move separately. (Raman and McIntire, 1/11)

Kaiser Health News: As CHIP Funds Run Low, Doctors And Parents Scramble To Cover Kids’ Needs

Dr. Mahendra Patel, a pediatric cancer doctor, has begun giving away medications to some of his patients, determined not to disrupt their treatments for serious illnesses like leukemia, should Congress fail to come up with renewed funding for a key children’s health program now hostage to partisan politics. In his 35 years of practice, Patel, of San Antonio, has seen the lengths to which parents will go to care for their critically ill children. He has seen couples divorce just to qualify for Medicaid coverage, something he fears will happen if the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is axed. He said: “They are looking at you and begging for their child’s life.” (Galewitz and Huetteman, 1/12)

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