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CHIP Provided Health Insurance For 9 Million Children - It Expired Oct 1
Trump and Republicans are destroying our already fragile, expensive healthcare system, making coverage even more unaffordable or unavailable for millions of Americans. Despite the inability to repeal or replace it the Affordable Care Act, Trump and his team continue to sabotage it to disgusting ends. They consider their actions to be praiseworthy despite causing an inability to afford coverage for sick children and adults.
But the children??? Congress failed to renew the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which expired September 30, 2017.
Congress just allowed the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provided low-cost health insurance to 9 million children, to expire. If action is not taken soon to restore the funding, the effects will become obvious in schools across the country, with many of the children in the program unable to see a doctor for routine checkups, immunizations, visits when sick and other services.
What is CHIP and are its accomplishments?
The program, created under a 1997 law passed with bipartisan support during the administration of President Bill Clinton, provided coverage for children in families with low and moderate incomes as well as to pregnant women. It was instrumental in lowering the percentage of children who were uninsured from nearly 14 percent when it started to 4.5 percent in 2015.
The program provided.... Routine checkups, Immunizations, Doctor visits, Prescriptions, Dental and vision care, Inpatient and outpatient hospital care, Laboratory and X-ray services, Emergency services....
The Republican-led Congress allowed the CHIP deadline to pass without action amid their heinous unsuccessful efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. They are too busy working on massive corporate tax cuts.
It was last reauthorized in 2015 and was due to be renewed by Sept. 30, 2017.
States still have limited CHIP money available, but if Congress does not act quickly to restore the program, they will start to run out. Several states and the District of Columbia are expected to drain CHIP funding by the end of this year and many more by March 2018.