[Washington] – Today, the House voted to advance problematic legislation to finance the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) by cutting other essential health programs. The House proposal includes cuts to the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which supports initiatives such as tobacco use prevention, access to childhood vaccines, and lead poisoning prevention. It also shortens the grace period for consumers paying premiums for individual private insurance–which could take away insurance from as many as 688,000 people.
“In September, Congress failed to invest in CHIP, leaving the nine million children who receive health insurance from the program in limbo. Many states have already exhausted their CHIP funds, and more will follow even before the end of the year. Stopgap funding has kept these states afloat, but this is not a long-term solution.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sarah Schultz,