Late last night, the Senate passed H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), a bi-partisan legislative package originating in the House of Representatives that, among other things, reauthorizes funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for two years, through 2017.

HCFANY and other leaders in healthcare advocacy supported a four-year extension. Extending the program for two years is a great initial step to protect children and families, and quick action to extend the program will help states (including NY), that rely on this assurance for budget planning (we blogged about this here and here). Now, HCFANY will keep working with State leaders and members of Congress to make sure the program is protected beyond 2017.

Read our full press statement here.