Clinton urges Congress to reauthorize children’s health care program

Hillary Clinton issued her strong support for the Children’s Health Insurance Program in a series of tweets Monday night, urging Congress to reauthorize the program, which expired last month.

“This hasn’t gotten enough [attention]: For the first time, Congress missed the deadline to reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program,” Clinton said.

This hasn’t gotten enough attn: For the first time, Congress missed the deadline to reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program. 1/7

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 9, 2017

Back in the ’90s, Democrats and Republicans worked together to pass CHIP. Today, it covers 9 million kids. 2/7

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 9, 2017

Clinton then shared a video about a family impacted by CHIP, and warned that families will soon receive notice that their children’s health insurance is at risk.

The test of any society is how it treats its children. We cannot allow millions of kids to lose access to basic health care. 5/7

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 9, 2017

The former Democratic presidential nominee praised the Senate Finance Committee for passing a bipartisan reauthorization bill last week and urged her followers to contact their representatives about the bill.

Grateful to the Senate Finance Committee for passing a strong and much needed bipartisan reauthorization bill. Now, let’s get this done. 6/7

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 9, 2017

Call Congress @ (202) 224-3121. Tell them we must work together to get this done for the children & families counting on CHIP. 7/7

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 9, 2017

Clinton, then the first lady, was a champion of CHIP when it first made its way through Congress during former President Bill Clinton’s first term in office.

Congress missed a deadline to reauthorize the CHIP program, which helps states provide inexpensive health insurance to children in low-income families.

Despite the Senate releasing a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the program for five years, a vote was never scheduled.

Three states and Washington, D.C., are expected to run out of money from the program by December, and the majority of states will run out by March, according to a July report from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission.

Another study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 10 states would run out money by the end of the year.

The deadline to reauthorize the program passed after Senate Republicans spent several weeks pushing to pass an ObamaCare repeal bill co-sponsored by GOP Sens. Bill Cassidy (La.) and Lindsey Graham (S.C.). That bill was never brought to the Senate floor after three Republicans announced their opposition to it.