Governing

By Chris Kardish

Senate Democrats are insisting on a longer extension of the Children’s Health Insurance Program than the two years included in a bipartisan House plan to restructure how Medicare pays doctors, but whether they’d refuse the entire package — or whether House Republicans would accept a four-year extension — isn’t clear.

Funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which serves about 8 million kids from low-to-moderate-income families (up to $72,750 for a family of four), will end after September without an agreement from Congress. Governors have called for swift action so they can have greater certainty around their budgets, and the Medicare deal would offer that — but for a shorter period of time than they and Senate Democrats prefer.

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Showdown Over Children’s Health Insurance: http://bit.ly/1BTR0z8 via @CKardish @Governing #ExtendCHIP for 4 years cc @First_Focus

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