The American Academy of Family Physicians is reaching out to governors across the country to stand up for children and demand that Congress extend the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Send your message through SpeakOut to Ohio Governor John Kasich today requesting that he ask Ohio’s Congressional Delegation to support CHIP funding.
As you know, CHIP funding expired on September 30. Without action from Congress on CHIP funding, states will be forced to make drastic cuts to the program.
Children’s Health Insurance Program in Ohio
Ohio operates a Medicaid expansion CHIP called Healthy Start
• 1,564,269 children are covered by Medicaid and CHIP in Ohio
• 223,538 children received CHIP-funded coverage
• 1,340,686 received Medicaid-funded coverage.
In 2015, there were 115,000 uninsured children in Ohio.
• CHIP in Ohio covers children ages 0-18 from 107% – 206% of the Federal Poverty Level
• Cost sharing is not associated with CHIP in Ohio
• Ohio is expected to exhaust federal CHIP funds by March 2018 if Congress does not reauthorize the program.
Since 1997, CHIP, together with Medicaid, has helped to reduce the percentage of uninsured children by a remarkable 68%.
As employer-based dependent coverage has eroded, CHIP and Medicaid have efficiently worked together so that more than 95% of all children in America are currently enrolled in some form of insurance coverage.