Stabenow Introduces Bipartisan Children’s Health Insurance Bill

Legislation would extend and improve critical children’s health care program before upcoming deadline

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) today announced that she has introduced the Keeping Kids’ Insurance Dependable and Secure (KIDS) Act (S. 1827), bipartisan legislation to ensure stability for vulnerable children by extending funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for five years. Current funding for CHIP will expire on September 30th unless Congress takes action.

“Before the Children’s Health Insurance Program, too many hardworking families in Michigan couldn’t afford to take their kids to the doctor when they got sick,” said Senator Stabenow. “Today, 97 percent of children in Michigan can see a doctor. We need to build on that progress, not go backwards. Rather than a last-ditch effort to take away health care from Michigan families, we should work across the aisle and pass my bill to make sure children have the health coverage they need.”

CHIP, which was signed into law in 1997, serves close to nine million children across the country and about 100,000 children in Michigan who are enrolled in MIChild. Children enrolled in CHIP are more likely to have a reliable source of health and dental care and to have regular check-ups. If CHIP funding expires, families could experience wait lists or enrollment changes and, ultimately, kids could be unable to see a doctor.

U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, are the original sponsors of the KIDS Act.