On the recordNovember 1, 2017
The Children's Health Insurance Program, which is also known as CHIP, provides low-cost health insurance to nearly 9 million children all across the country, including over 25,000 children in my home State of Hawaii. Together with Medicaid, these programs have reduced the Nation's uninsured rate for children to a record low of 5 percent. Republicans in Congress let CHIP expire back in September, jeopardizing the healthcare of millions of children. At the current pace, my home State of Hawaii will exhaust all current CHIP funding by the end of this year, leaving thousands of our keiki unable to visit a doctor for routine checkups and to receive immunizations, prescriptions, or more. We must act now to reauthorize this CHIP program to ensure that our children have access to the healthcare that they need. We cannot neglect those who need help the most by failing to act and reauthorize this legislation. We must act now. ____________________
