skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Sunday, December 22, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Government shutdown looms after Trump-backed bill fails; Environmental groups sue CA Air Resources Board over biogas credits; NY elected officials work to electrify municipal buildings; Need a mental health boost? Talking hot dog is here.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President-elect Trump repeats his threats to jail Jan. 6th committee members, while also putting a stop-gap spending plan in jeopardy. A court removes Fani Willis from Trump's Georgia election interference case. The FAA restricts drones in New Jersey, and a Federal Reserve rate cut shakes markets.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural folks could soon be shut out of loans for natural disasters if Project 2025 has its way, Taos, New Mexico weighs options for its housing shortage, and the top states providing America's Christmas trees revealed.

CHIP Funding Comes Down to the Wire: What About KY Kids?

play audio
Play

Thursday, December 21, 2017   

FRANKFORT, Ky. – It is down to the wire for Congress to pass a long term funding bill for the Children's Health Insurance Program, and a new report shows that if lawmakers don't act soon nearly two million children, including 38,000 in Kentucky, could lose coverage in January.

CHIP funding expired in September, and lawmakers recently approved a patch that reallocates funds from states that have not exhausted their own CHIP funds.

But Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, says it's robbing Peter to pay Paul.

"We know that Congress is anxious to leave town, but they must act on a long-term CHIP extension before they go or children will start to lose coverage in January,” she points out. “Families need the peace of mind as they head into this holiday season that their children's CHIP coverage will be secure."

The report from the Georgetown Center shows that Kentucky is among the states that will exhaust funding by the end of January.

The U.S. House passed a bill to renew CHIP funding in September.

This week, some top Republicans said the Senate would consider reauthorization after the first of the year along with other health spending measures.

As a pediatric emergency medicine physician, Dr. Sam Bartle with the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, says he's concerned that without CHIP coverage, some parents won't be able to get their children needed medical care.

"They're going to be starting to question, 'Should I bring them in now or can I wait?’” he points out. “’Is this wheezing, this difficulty breathing, bad enough to come in or is this a bad injury? Should it be seen now or can I wait until later and see if it gets better?' These are the things that are a concern. For some conditions, that can be deadly."

Alker says it's important to note that Congress’ patch offers no additional funding, and essentially drains the reallocation funding faster by providing extra funds to states running out of CHIP money first.

"A short-term patch is not the way to go when we have a five-year, bipartisan policy agreement that's been fully vetted and will work," she stresses, "instead of the short-term patches that not everybody understands the consequences of when they pass."

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said he is prioritizing a CHIP extension as part of a year-end spending deal.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
A survey from the American Heart Association revealed 79% of respondents neglect their health during the holidays. Many say they find this time of year more stressful than income tax season.
(deagreez/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Holiday travel is in full swing and for many, so is the stress. The American Heart Association of Missouri has health tips for anyone with heart …


Health and Wellness

play sound

By Amy Felegy for Arts Midwest.Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News Service Collabo…

Health and Wellness

play sound

With Christmas less than a week away, experts are giving advice on how seniors and the community can fight against social isolation. A United Health …


A new University of Miami study has found buildings in Sunny Isles Beach and Surfside have been sinking by 2-8 centimeters between 2016 and 2023. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

When the Champlain Towers South collapsed in Surfside in 2021 taking 98 lives, it sent shock waves across South Florida. The tragedy has left …

Environment

play sound

Rural communities across Massachusetts are benefiting from state grants aimed at strengthening the local food supply and building climate resilience…

Dairy digesters remove methane from liquified animal waste. The gas can then be used to generate power. (Lance Cheung/USDA)

Environment

play sound

Three environmental nonprofits filed suit Wednesday against the California Air Resources Board to oppose the expansion of a program allowing oil and g…

Environment

play sound

New York lawmakers are focusing on electrifying municipal buildings. Buildings statewide make up 32% of New York's greenhouse gas emissions and …

Social Issues

play sound

North Dakota is expected to rejoin the debate over whether all school children, regardless of their family income, should have access to no-cost …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021