Action Alert! Tell Congress to Fund CHIP and Protect Children’s Health
December 21, 2017
The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provides low-cost health insurance to children in families that do not qualify for Medicaid, but still need assistance to access health care. Nearly 9 million children, including many children with disabilities, depend on CHIP for health coverage.
Unfortunately, Congress’s failure to reauthorize CHIP puts the health and well-being of these children at risk. Federal funding for CHIP expired on September 30, 2017, and as a result, many states are beginning to run out of funds to support the program. Sixteen states expect to exhaust all of their CHIP funding before the end of January 2018, with another 21 states running out of funds by March 2018 (Kaiser Family Foundation).
CHIP was a bipartisan initiative when it was first passed in 1997 and has received bipartisan support since then. It is a program that supports children in all states and has helped lower the uninsured rate of children to 5% since the program began.
Time is of the essence – Congress must act now to fund CHIP!
Take Action
Call your Members of Congress
Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or (202) 224-3091 (TTY) and ask to be connected to your Senators or Representative.
Email your Members of Congress
Contacting Congress provides unique links to email your Senators and Representative directly.
Tweet your Members of Congress
Twitter has become a powerful tool to communicate with elected officials directly. Find your Senators and Representative on Twitter and tell them to protect children’s healthcare by funding CHIP!
- House of Representatives Twitter Handles
- Senate Twitter Handles
- Use the hashtag #ExtendCHIP
Additional Resources
- CHIP Resource Center – Families USA
- What Are the Consequences of Congressional Delay on CHIP? – Georgetown University Health Policy Institute
- CHIP Funding Delay Threatens Children’s Health Care – Families USA
- State Plans for CHIP as Federal CHIP Funds Run Out – Kaiser Family Foundation
- House GOP Spending Bill Falls Short on CHIP, Community Health Centers, Puerto Rico – Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
