Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CHIP Bill Passes House, But Partisan Strife Over Funding Likely To Cause Headaches In Senate
The House passed a bill on Friday that would provide five years of funds for the popular Children鈥檚 Health Insurance Program, over vehement objections from Democrats who opposed the way it would be financed. The vote, 242 to 174, came a month after funds for the program expired. (Pear, 11/3)
After months of disputes and delays, the House voted Friday to renew funding for the Children鈥檚 Health Insurance Program, community health centers and other public health programs. The legislation passed easily, 242-174, although many Democrats opposed the measure due to disagreements over the offsets. ... Advocacy organizations and state officials have been clamoring for Congress to act to extend funding for CHIP, community health centers and a number of other safety net programs. Most still had some money to keep operations going after the Sept. 30 expiration date, but officials are increasingly nervous about running out. In the case of CHIP, federal health officials have been funneling some leftover funds to the states that are in the most dire situations. (Raman, 11/3)
The House bill would charge higher premiums to wealthier Medicare beneficiaries, cut money from ObamaCare鈥檚 public health fund and shorten the grace period for ObamaCare enrollees who fail to make premium payments. According to an analysis by the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, between 259,000 and 688,000 people could lose their insurance as a result of the shortened grace period. (Weixel, 11/3)
It鈥檚 funded by taking money from the Prevention and Public Health Fund, a program under the Affordable Care Act that finances public health efforts and tries to improve quality of care. It also limits federal subsidies to Medicare beneficiaries making more than $500,000. (Rausch, 11/3)
It now heads to the Senate where lawmakers are working on an entirely different approach to re-authorize the Children鈥檚 Health Insurance Program, often called CHIP. (Torry, 11/3)