Enacted as part of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 with bipartisan support from President Bill Clinton and then-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was devised to address a critical gap in health coverage for low-income children from working families—those whose parents had incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid and who found private health insurance unaffordable.
RSVPCHIP is a successful federal-state partnership in which the federal government provides states resources to expand coverage to low-income children, improving health outcomes and access to needed care. Together with Medicaid, CHIP provides health coverage to more than 8 million children and has helped to reduce the number of uninsured children by almost half since its enactment. With a 17-year track record, CHIP has been a winner for states and children alike.
Please join the children’s advocacy community for an educational staff briefing that will explain how CHIP works, including its history and structure, and highlight state experiences in providing health coverage for millions of low-income children. Panelists will also explore how CHIP continues to play a vital coverage role under health reform as an essential source of coverage for children.
Moderator:
- Libby Mullin, Principal, Mullin Strategies
Panelists:
- Cathy Caldwell, Director, Bureau of Children’s Health Insurance Alabama Department of Public Health
- Charles J. Barone II, M.D., F.A.A.P., Chair, Department of Pediatrics Henry Ford Medical Group
- Chloe Thiboldeaux, 11 year old CHIP enrollee and Crohn’s survivor
Sponsors:
