It is unlikely Congress will adopt a long-term reauthorization for the Children’s Health Insurance Program in a short-term continuing resolution to fund the government after the current one expires on Dec. 22.
A source familiar with the matter told the Washington Examiner that, at this point, it appears likely there will be a short-term measure to help prop up the program as opposed to a years-long reauthorization.
The comments come as several lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed an interest for funding for CHIP by the end of the year.
Currently, the government runs out of money on Dec. 22. There are talks to do another continuing resolution to keep the government open into January.
As of now, it remains unlikely that a long-term reauthorization for CHIP would be included. Instead, it would be something “smaller in scope,” the source said.
The short-term CR signed into law on Dec. 8 included a provision to give the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services more flexibility to help out states that are running low on CHIP funding. The provision helped CMS to provide more funding that was left over from prior years.
CHIP is a block grant program that provides money to states to provide health insurance to low-income children.
As of October, there were two states struggling with funding for the rest of the year: Arizona and Minnesota. However, 28 states would be in danger of running out of funding starting in January, according to October figures from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, a congressional advisory panel.
Another 19 states would run out starting in April and two states in the summer, the report said.
The source said it isn’t clear whether there will be short-term CHIP funding for states or more flexibility in the Dec. 22 CR for the Trump administration to shuffle around more funding to help out states.
Several lawmakers said they would like to get CHIP done by the end of the year.
“There aren’t many trains left in the station this year and it needs to happen this year,” said Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The House passed its own legislation back in early November that reauthorized CHIP for five years and funded community health centers for two years. However, that bill went nowhere in the Senate as most Democrats opposed the funding offsets that included raiding an Obamacare disease prevention fund and raising premiums on wealthy Medicare seniors.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said he would also like to see CHIP done by the end of the year.
He is ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, which passed its own legislation to reauthorize CHIP back in October. However, that legislation did not include any funding offsets and Wyden and Republicans have been in talks on how to fund the traditionally bipartisan program.
