Approximately 55,000 Nebraska children could be at risk for losing health coverage because of congressional inaction to reauthorize the federal Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP). With the September 30th deadline now past, states like Nebraska are in a position to rapidly exhaust federal funds for the program by June 2018.
CHIP provides health insurance to low-income children and pregnant mothers who do not qualify for Medicaid. Nebraskas FY2018-19 state budget assumes ongoing federal funding, but if Congress cannot agree on reauthorization, replacing federal dollars will be left to the states to figure out, possibly leaving tens of thousands of children without healthcare.
Today the Nebraska Child Health and Education Alliance, made up of health and education advocates, asked how Governor Ricketts and Nebraska Legislature will deal with this significant funding shortfall.
The Childrens Health Insurance Program has always had bipartisan support in Congress but letting September 30th pass without reauthorization puts these families in a difficult position. Without this program these children will not have healthcare and they will become uninsured, Liz Lyons, Director of Advocacy and Government Relations at Childrens Hospital & Medical Center, stated.
The children we serve at CRCC have complex medical and developmental needs, and we see first-hand how critical CHIP is to families. Should federal funding come into question, the states support is essential in making sure vulnerable children remain covered by providing the necessary funding. We do understand that work is moving forward to reauthorize the program, but cannot reiterate enough how important CHIP is to the medically complex children of our state, and our leadership should affirm that importance, Anne Constantino, President and CEO of Childrens Respite Care Center, concluded.
Per the state budgeting process, Governor Ricketts will introduce a deficit budget package to the Legislature in January 2018 with likely passage by April 2018. If congressional inaction continues, it is estimated that Nebraskas allotment of federal funds will run out some time between April 1 and June 1, 2018.
Children and their families need to know from Governor Ricketts on whether he plans to include contingency CHIP funding in his budget to ensure that 55,041 Nebraska children continue to get health coverage.
The Nebraska Child Health and Education Alliance is coalition of entities that advocate for quality health care and education across the State of Nebraska.
