Children’s health safety net expiring unless legislators act by year’s end

HARRISBURG — A long-overdue state budget isn’t the only thing on the Legislature’s to-do list.

Without reauthorization, the state Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, expires on Dec. 31.

About 150,000 children statewide are enrolled in CHIP, with about 11,500 of them in Allegheny County, according to statistics from the state Insurance Department.

CHIP serves children whose parents earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but who cannot afford to purchase private health insurance.

Advocates say they want to make sure the reauthorization doesn’t get lost in the end-of year scramble to finish a months-overdue state budget that could result in possible large overhauls of the state’s pension and liquor systems. For the full article click here 

from health IT caucus http://ift.tt/1OzmBw0
via IFTTT