Another health care reform milestone was passed when the U.S. Senate secured the 60 votes necessary to bring the health care debate to the Senate floor. The debate on the Senate bill is expected to last weeks, with the Senate leadership hoping for passage before Christmas. Negotiations to reconcile differences between the final Senate version and House bill, H.R. 3962 that passed November 7th, could begin in January.
Children’s Health Insurance
Discussion of children’s health coverage in the context of federal reform has centered on how to handle the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). In February, Congress reauthorized CHIP through 2013. The legislation, originally enacted a decade ago, has expanded access to health insurance for millions of low- and moderate income children who would not other wise have access to coverage.
The Senate bill under consideration extends CHIP until 2019, although funding for the final five y » Read more: High Stakes for Maryland’s Children as Health Care Reform Moves Ahead
