If Congress does not renew federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, also known as CHIP, more than 1.9 million children in 23 states could lose health coverage in January, according to a new analysis by the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute.
Number of children at risk of
losing coverage in January
WASH.
66,517
MONT.
30,530
ORE.
MINN.
98,475
3,321
N.Y.
IDAHO
113,737
MASS.
424,976
28,018
1,447
R.I.
25,551
CONN.
PA.
NEV.
238,317
44,847
17,622
DEL.
UTAH
50
CALIF.
D.C.
COLO.
29,267
118,016
VA.
76,229
KAN.
KY.
102,975
63,306
38,036
ARIZ.
3,207
GA.
166,948
LA.
13,671
FLA.
201,703
Number of children at risk of
losing coverage in January
WASH.
66,517
MONT.
30,530
ORE.
MINN.
98,475
3,321
N.Y.
IDAHO
113,737
MASS.
424,976
28,018
1,447
R.I.
25,551
CONN.
PA.
NEV.
238,317
44,847
17,622
DEL.
UTAH
50
CALIF.
D.C.
COLO.
29,267
VA.
118,016
76,229
KAN.
KY.
102,975
63,306
38,036
ARIZ.
3,207
GA.
166,948
LA.
13,671
FLA.
201,703
Number of children at risk of
losing coverage in January
WASH.
MONT.
MINN.
ORE.
IDAHO
MASS.
N.Y.
R.I.
CONN.
PA.
NEV.
DEL.
UTAH
CALIF.
D.C.
COLO.
VA.
KAN.
KY.
ARIZ.
GA.
LA.
FLA.
N.Y.
Pa.
Fla.
Ga.
Calif.
Mass.
Va
Ore.
424,976
238,317
201,703
166,948
118,016
113,737
102,975
98,475
Colo.
Wash.
Kan.
Nev.
Ky.
Mont.
Utah
Idaho
76,229
66,517
63,306
44,847
38,036
30,530
29,267
28,018
Conn.
Del.
La.
Minn.
Ariz.
R.I.
D.C.
25,551
17,622
13,671
3,321
3,207
1,447
50
Number of children at risk of
losing coverage in January
WA
MT
MN
OR
ID
MA
NY
RI
PA
CT
NV
DE
UT
CA
CO
DC
VA
KS
KY
AZ
GA
LA
FL
N.Y.
Pa.
Fla.
Ga.
Calif.
Mass.
Va
Ore.
Colo.
Wash.
Kan.
Nev.
424,976
238,317
201,703
166,948
118,016
113,737
102,975
98,475
76,229
66,517
63,306
44,847
38,036
30,530
29,267
28,018
25,551
17,622
13,671
3,321
3,207
1,447
50
Ky.
Mont.
Utah
Idaho
Conn.
Del.
La.
Minn.
Ariz.
R.I.
D.C.
Nationally, CHIP insures nearly nine million children in low-income families. Federal funding expired on Sept. 30, and Congress has not agreed on how to pay for the program, which costs the federal government about $14 billion a year.
States are struggling to figure out how they will make up for the shortfall. If the impasse continues through February, an additional one million children in six more states are at risk of losing coverage, according to the Georgetown analysis.
Officials in one of those states — Alabama — have announced that they will freeze enrollment beginning Jan. 1 and terminate the program on Feb. 1 unless Congress renews the program.
“We have panicked families wondering what in the world they have as options,” said Cathy Caldwell, director of the CHIP program in Alabama, at a press conference. “It’s very, very stressful here in Alabama.”