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A bipartisan group of governors is urging Congress to act quickly to reauthorize funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program. In a letter led by Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D), the governors said their states are running out of money, and urged lawmakers to find a bipartisan solution. (Weixel, 12/12)

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper rallied a bipartisan band of governors again on Tuesday in a letter to Congress urging the renewal of a children’s health insurance program for low-income families. “We believe covering children and pregnant women without disruption is one thing we can all agree on,” the governors wrote in the letter. (Ingold, 12/12)

Gov. Larry Hogan urged congressional leaders Tuesday to reinstate by the end of the year a federal program that provides health insurance for children. “We should all be able to agree that needy kids should never become a political football,” Hogan wrote in a letter to leaders of both parties in the Senate and House of Representatives. (Cox, 12/12)

Ohio Gov. John Kasich joined 11 other governors from both parties Tuesday to plead with Congress to keep health coverage for nearly 220,000 Ohio children and millions more across the country. With Congress facing an end-of-the-year deadline to extend the 20-year-old setup, known as the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the governors urged Senate and House leaders to forget their differences and pass a bill “as quickly as possible.” (Torry, 12/12)  

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel on Dec. 11 stepped out of his comedic role and offered a commentary on the reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, after introducing his son Billy, who has a serious heart issue. His presentation was a bit one-sided, and readers requested a fact check. It’s often difficult to describe Washington sausage-making in shorthand, and Kimmel fell short in several areas, appearing to pin most of the blame on Republicans — even though he was careful not to mention party affiliation. (Kessler, 12/13)

Amid efforts to unsuccessfully repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act in the fall, lawmakers let the Children’s Health Insurance Program (or CHIP) to expire on Sept. 30. And now, doctors and patients are worried that money for the program, which provides 9 million kids across the country with low-cost health insurance, will run out. (Pirani, 12/12)