The state Senate passed a bill to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program through 2019 despite opposition from social conservatives to its inclusion of coverage for gender reassignment surgery.

The measure, approved on Monday by a 43-6 vote, now goes to Gov. Tom Wolf for enactment.

CHIP provides health insurance to children in low- and moderate-income families whose income is too high to qualify for standard Medicaid programs.

It is scheduled to sunset at year's end in Pennsylvania, which if not reauthorized would have left 175,000 children currently served by the program without coverage.

While the program itself is broadly supported by lawmakers, a unilateral move by the Wolf Administration last year to expand the program to include transgender services made the reauthorization controversial.

The House voted last spring to approve the reauthorization. The Senate amended the bill in October to modify the program's rules to cover counseling services, drugs and other costly treatments that can help kids with gender identity issues but barred the irreversible physical step of sex reassignment surgery.

The House last month stripped out that provision and chose instead to deal with the transgender issues as a separate bill that has yet to be voted.

But with the program as it stands now, Sen. Scott Martin, R-Lancaster County, who was among those who opposed the bill on Monday, said the administration's decision to expand the program to cover transgender services "far changes a plan that was originally meant for pure health care purposes."

He said "I don't think there's a member in this chamber that does not support health care for children who need it but this goes well above and beyond."

Other GOP senators voting against the bill were Sens. Ryan Aument of Lancaster County, John DiSanto of Dauphin County, John Eichelberger of Blair County, Mike Folmer of Lebanon County, and Scott Hutchinson of Venango County.

Meanwhile, Wolf praised the General Assembly for passing the reauthorization bill and called on the U.S. Congress to follow suit.

"I applaud the Pennsylvania General Assembly for voting to reauthorize Pennsylvania's CHIP program but in order to provide benefits to the more than 175,000 children enrolled, Congress must take action immediately," Wolf said in a statement.

"Congress is failing the children of Pennsylvania and causing unnecessary anxiety for families around the holidays. I call on the U.S. House and Senate leaders to make CHIP a priority and stop this obstruction. Pennsylvania's CHIP program depends on federal funding and it is at risk without Congress doing its job. Our kids and families deserve peace of mind about their ability to go to the doctor and get care."

Federal funding covers approximately 90 percent of the $450 million cost of Pennsylvania's CHIP program.