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The
House Republican measure was approved 242-174 largely along
party lines. It would continue the Children’s Health Insurance
Program (CHIP) for five years. But Democrats warned the partisan
House approach would not fly in the Senate, further delaying
cash for the program that expired over a month ago.
"This bill is going nowhere ... the Senate will not take it up,
and we will be waiting around until Christmas" to get funding,
Democratic Representative Frank Pallone warned. Republicans
control 52 of the Senate's 100 seats, and 60 votes are needed
for passage there.
CHIP, which provides health insurance to about 9 million
children, has been a bipartisan program since its creation 20
years ago and reauthorizing funding has not been contentious -
until now.
Under President Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled
Congress, healthcare issues have become highly politicized as
Republicans have repeatedly failed to repeal and replace
Obamacare, a top Trump campaign promise.
The program's funding lapsed on Sept. 30, but most states have
enough money to continue it past 2017. Still, 11 states,
including Colorado, California, Utah, Ohio and Pennsylvania
expect to exhaust their funding by the end of the year,
according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Another 21 states anticipate running out of money by the end of
March 2018.
The House bill extends the program for five years, and continues
funding of community health centers for two years. It also
includes $1 billion for Medicaid programs in Puerto Rico and the
Virgin Islands, hard hit by recent hurricanes.
The bill became controversial after Republicans added provisions
that would affect the Affordable Care Act, former Democratic
President Barack Obama's signature domestic policy achievement.
They include slashing funding from the law's Prevention and
Public Health Fund, which among other things helps fight the
opioid epidemic, and making it easier to kick people off
Obamacare plans for non-payment of premiums.
However, Republican Representative Greg Walden pointed out the
bill would block for two years the Medicaid cuts for hospitals
that would otherwise occur under Obamacare.
Democrats criticized the legislation for asking Medicare's
wealthiest one percent of beneficiaries, those who make more
than $40,000 each month, to pay more to help fund health
insurance for low-income children.
(Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Additional reporting by Yasmeen
Abutaleb; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
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