On December 15, 2016, the Commission approved a package of recommendations to Congress that would extend federal funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) through fiscal year 2022, in order to address the stability and continuity of health insurance coverage for low- and moderate-income children and mitigate budget uncertainty for states. The recommendations package would extend the current CHIP maintenance of effort provision (MOE)—now set to expire at the end of FY 2019—for three additional years, through FY 2022, and extend the current federal CHIP matching rate through FY 2022 while the MOE is in place. The Commission also recommended providing support for states to test innovations that could lead to a more seamless system of children’s coverage in the future.
Although CHIP’s authorization does not expire, without Congressional action states will not receive any new federal funds for CHIP beyond September 30, 2017. This presentation provides additional context for MACPAC’s deliberations on the future of CHIP and children’s coverage, an overview of key Commission analyses, and the text of the draft recommendations presented for the Commission’s consideration.