CHIP Program To Go Bankrupt By Year’s End

JACKSON, Miss. (PRESS RELEASE) – Representative Jarvis Dortch (D-Raymond) sent a letter today urging Mississippi’s Congressional delegation to support a five-year extension of funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The program expires on September 30 of this year, and the Mississippi Division of Medicaid, which administers CHIP, has indicated that it will exhaust CHIP funds as soon as this fall.

Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the federal government has paid 100 percent of the health care costs for Mississippi children covered under CHIP. In the FY 2018 budget, it was assumed that Congress would continue to meet its obligation and provide Mississippi with those funds. If Congress fails to extend the program, the state would be faced with tough decisions that will dramatically impact thousands of Mississippi children.

CHIP provides over 50,000 Mississippi children with access to consistent care and health insurance coverage. As a result of this program, the uninsured rate for children has reduced by half and the number of unnecessary hospitalizations has decreased substantially. Additionally, children who utilize CHIP are more likely to have a primary source of care, make regular visits to health care providers and access preventative care.

Congress should spend the final days of September finalizing a CHIP extension and working on a bipartisan package of fixes for the ACA.  It is troubling that thousands of Mississippi children could lose access to health coverage due to Congress’ inability to take action on such an important issue.