Last night, as I watched the Senate confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, my thoughts moved quickly from the historic nature of this lifetime appointment to the 23 million Americans who could lose coverage overnight if the Affordable Care Act is overturned. While no one knows for sure how Justice Barrett (or any of the other 8 justices) will vote — families now face uncertainty while a new Supreme Court debates what to do about their healthcare in the middle of a global health crisis.
But — there is something we all can do to protect healthcare for millions of children — right now. A bipartisan proposal called the CARING for Kids Act would protect the health coverage of 10 million children currently enrolled in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
We’re just one week away from an election and — I know — the country feels divided and everything feels partisan. But this bill is not only bipartisan, it’s common sense. Congress long ago decided that Medicare, health coverage for veterans, and insurance for Members of Congress shouldn’t expire. For some inexplicable reason, CHIP is the only federal health insurance program that expires. This means kids are always at risk of losing health care, especially if the ACA goes away. This bill would fix that.
Tell your Representative that protecting kids is a bipartisan idea — and tell them to act now.
Enough is enough. Congress needs to stop playing political games with the health of children. And we all need to make our voices heard. It’s time we fixed this issue while we still can.