‘It Keeps Us Up At Night’: Parents Racked With Stress As CHIP Funding Languishes In Congress
"If Bobby doesn't have this medication, he will die. It's as simple as that," said Tracy Belt, a mother who has a son with Type 1 diabetes. Congress has passed a short-term funding fix for the Children's Health Insurance Program, but lawmakers are stills squabbling over how to pay for a longer-term solution.
Los Angeles Times:
Parents Agonize Over Their Kids' Health As Funding For Children's Insurance Program Remains In Doubts
It was an anxious Christmas and New Year's for the Belt family. Tracy and B.J. Belt for years have lived paycheck to paycheck, as B.J.'s truck-driving job at a quarry in the hills around Morgantown hasn't left much for luxuries. But this holiday season, the Belts had a new worry. Their two boys, Bobby and Dylan, may soon be uninsured, leaving 11-year-old Bobby without the costly medicine and blood monitors he needs to control his Type 1 diabetes. (Levey, 1/9)
Politico Pro:
CHIP Extension Faces Headwinds Despite Lowered Price Tag
Lawmakers scrambling to fund the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program got an easy out after the CBO dramatically lowered its estimate of how much the program would cost. But even that may not produce a deal since the program’s fate is tangled up in the thorny politics of immigration and a government spending bill. (Pradhan, 1/9)