WASHINGTON — West Virginia’s congressional representatives are urging the Senate to pass legislation reauthorizing funding for the federal program that provides health care insurance for children and their families.
Reps. David McKinley, Alex Mooney and Evan Jenkins sent a letter Monday to Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, to pass a long-term deal regarding the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
The program provides insurance for families with incomes that are too high to qualify for Medicaid, and nine million children nationally are covered. More than 21,000 children in West Virginia have health insurance coverage through CHIP. The state adopted a state version in 1998.
“Central Appalachia is largely rural, with access to care issues common in rural, remote areas. That makes CHIP even more imperative, as it encourages and promotes access to preventative and primary care for so many of our constituents,” the congressmen wrote to Hatch, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance.
“CHIP has been a lifeline to so many in Central Appalachia, and passing this legislation must remain a priority,” the letter continued. “In our state of West Virginia, reauthorizing CHIP will give certainty to so many going in to the new year. The work you have done on CHIP has helped many families in our region, and we are ready to work with you to finalize legislation and reauthorization this program.
The House passed House Resolution 3922 in November, which would extend funding for CHIP through September 2022. The measure passed in a 242-174 vote, with Republicans voting largely in favor of the measure.
Many Democrats opposed the legislation because of funding cuts to the national prevention fund and the limiting of Medicaid benefits for lottery winners. It would also result in higher premiums for Medicare beneficiaries that make more than $500,000 a year.