Senator Steve Daines announced the need to reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for six years and keep the government open. He is supporting a proposal that would do both.
“24,000 Montana children depend on CHIP for vital health care services,” said Daines. “I am announcing my full support for a bill now moving through Congress that reauthorizes this critical program while avoiding a damaging government shutdown. It is inexcusable to let partisanship deny Montana families the certainty that this long-term CHIP re authorization brings.”
The House and Senate are expected to vote this week on legislation that would prevent the government from shutting down on January 19th.
CHIP provides health services for over eight million children across the United States each year.
The number of uninsured children has fallen by one-third and today, the number of uninsured children is the lowest on record since CHIP’s creation.
Montana counties with the highest number of children enrolled in CHIP:
Yellowstone – 3,288 children
Flathead – 2,950 children
Gallatin – 2,765 children
Missoula – 2,284 children
Cascade – 1,325 children