The House last week passed legislation to help millions of low-income children by extending the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for five years, part of a bill that U.S. Reps. Greg Walden (R-OR) and Michael Burgess (R-TX) supported that also funds key public health priorities.
Introduced by Walden, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce chairman, the Championing Healthy Kids Act also gives a two-year funding extension to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) or Community Health Centers, and makes $1 billion available for Medicaid in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to relieve shortfalls they are experiencing.
“While states still have rollover CHIP funds available and the next wave of community health center funds won’t go out until next year, we cannot wait any longer,” Walden said on the House floor. “Patients cannot wait any longer. Patients need care, and these critical programs need funding.”
In his floor remarks, Walden pointed out that his district has 12 facilities designated as FQHCs with 63 health care delivery sites using more than $41 million in federal funds to care for more than 240,000 patients. The FQHCs provide comprehensive health care services to underserved populations, offer sliding-scale fees, qualify for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, and typically provide outpatient care.
“These health centers are prevention and public health in action, often serving as the main provider of care for miles,” added Walden.
“Today, more than 8 million low-income children across our country depend on CHIP for many of their health care services, such as routine doctors visits, immunizations, prescription medications, and dental care,” said Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Chairman Burgess. “An extension through fiscal year 2022 will provide financial stability for every state’s CHIP program and certainty for children and their families.”
According to the Energy and Commerce Committee, new spending under H.R. 3922 is fully offset by policies that would update Medicaid third-party liability requirements, remove lottery jackpot winners from Medicaid rolls to prioritize citizens with greatest needs, and reduce federal subsidies for senior citizens who earn more than $500,000 a year, among other policies.
In addition, the bill gave a two-year funding extension to public health programs including the National Health Service Corps, Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education, Family-to-Family Health Information Centers, the Youth Empowerment Program, and the Personal Responsibility Education Program.
Among the organizations supporting H.R. 3922 are the American Hospital Association, the BlueCross BlueShield Association, the Federation of American Hospitals, and Medicaid Health Plans of America.