CHIP stands for Child Health Insurance Program and is a federal program administered by each state, and funded by both federal and state governments.  Sometimes it goes by a different name, but essentially it is for children in families who don’t qualify for Medicaid, but still are low income enough to struggle paying for health insurance for their child.  It came into existence before the ACA was passed, but it continues to exist because it is a widely popular program that provides a needed service to many, many families.

Through the ACA, the terms of CHIP eligibility were extended through 2019, but the funding was not.  Funding expires for the current incarnation of CHIP through this September.

Here’s why it matters.  If funding is not extended, many, many children will lose their healthcare.  The Boy included.

The other night, I happened to click on an article on Facebook, that happened to include the information above, and left me upset and worried.  Why hadn’t I heard anything about this?  Shouldn’t this be national news?  What the hell is going on?

I did a little more research, and found that it will most likely receive extended funding, but no one knows for how long.  The problem is that some want it replaced with plans offered by the health exchanges.  I can tell you that this would place healthcare on the other side of affordable for our family, because our state neither expanded medicaid, nor started their own exchange.  As a result, there is one company providing healthcare plans in the my state (through the federal exchange), and therefore they can set whatever rates they want – there is no competition, which was the whole point of the ACA.  The ACA is perverted here, and therefore, we are not being served the way we should be by this law.

There are many people who think families should have a choice between an ACA plan and CHIP, and there are others who think having CHIP and the ACA separate is just fine.  Needless to say, there will probably be a great deal of debate on September 30th of this year.

I wonder if we will hear anything about it?

I wonder if it will be used as a bargaining chip (no pun intended) for something else?

I wonder, and I worry.  CHIP gives me piece of mind about my son’s healthcare, and I would really prefer to have an educated public and a compassionate legislative body making decisions about its future.