Congress ran through deadline to re-up children’s law

In the drama surrounding the collapse of another Obamacare repeal bill, Congress failed to pass an extension of a program that provides health insurance coverage for 9 million children.

The Children’s Health Insurance Program expired on Sept. 30th, after high stakes talks and high-profile tweets about the Senate GOP’s Graham-Cassidy health bill to repeal Obamacare and put in place state block grants. 

The program provides coverage for children of families who do not qualify for Medicaid health coverage for the poor. 

The law was enacted in 1997 under President Bill Clinton on a bipartisan basis, and was last reauthorized in 2015, insuring children in low to moderate-income families. 

THERE MUST BE SOMETHING WE’RE FORGETTING? Congress neglected to pass an extension of a program that provides health insurance coverage for 9 million children last week as it grappled with a GOP Obamacare repeal bill

The deadline came and went during a week when Washington was once again transfixed by a Republican bill to repeal replace Obamacare, this time with talks over the Graham-Cassidy bill.

President Trump tweeted numerous times about it as he tried to build pressure for its passage, pointing to momentum among holdouts and going after critics, like Arizona Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

Ultimately, GOP leaders decided not to call up the bill after defections from GOP Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, and McCain.   

House Democratic Conference chair Rep. Joe Crowley of New York blamed the inaction on ‘Republican gridlock.’

The program provides coverage for children of families who do not qualify for Medicaid health coverage for the poor

The program provides coverage for children of families who do not qualify for Medicaid health coverage for the poor

The program provides coverage for children of families who do not qualify for Medicaid health coverage for the poor

The program provides coverage for children of families who do not qualify for Medicaid health coverage for the poor

Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) hold a news conference following their weekly policy luncheon, September 26, 2017 in Washington, DC. Leader McConnell announced they will not vote on the Graham-Cassidy health care bill, the GOP's latest attempt to replace the Affordable Care Act

Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) hold a news conference following their weekly policy luncheon, September 26, 2017 in Washington, DC. Leader McConnell announced they will not vote on the Graham-Cassidy health care bill, the GOP’s latest attempt to replace the Affordable Care Act

The late Sen. Edward Kennedy , D-Mass., and Orrin Hatch,R-Utah., pushed the Hatch-Kennedy Childerns Insurance bill that was ultimately signed by President Bill Clinton

The late Sen. Edward Kennedy , D-Mass., and Orrin Hatch,R-Utah., pushed the Hatch-Kennedy Childerns Insurance bill that was ultimately signed by President Bill Clinton

Health care activists hold upon signs during a news conference in opposition to the Graham-Cassidy health care bill, September 26, 2017 in Washington, DC

Health care activists hold upon signs during a news conference in opposition to the Graham-Cassidy health care bill, September 26, 2017 in Washington, DC

House Democratic Conference chair Rep. Joe Crowley of New York blamed the inaction on 'Republican gridlock'

House Democratic Conference chair Rep. Joe Crowley of New York blamed the inaction on ‘Republican gridlock’

‘Republican gridlock has put 9 million children at risk. This is unacceptable,’ he tweeted last week.

Three states and Washington, D.C. are set to run out of program funds by December, and most will have funding that will last until March, The Hill newspaper reportet, citing a July report by a Medicaid CHIP commission.

The others are Arizona, Minnesota, and North Carolina.

According to the Washington Post, the program helped drop the rate of children without insurance from 14 percent when the program was enacted to 4.5 per cent in 2015, when it was last reauthorized. 

The program covers such medical expenses as doctor visits and dental care.

Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), who cosponsored a bill to extend the authorization, told the Morning Call he was ‘deeply disappointed’ in the delay. 

Health secretary Tom Price resigned Friday over a scandal about his use of government private aircraft.

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