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Sandoval among 12 governors urging CHIP reauthorization

Nevada’s Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval and 11 other governors from both parties signed a letter to congressional leaders Tuesday urging them to reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Congress missed its Sept. 30 deadline to renew the program, which provides insurance to 9 million children nationwide and 27,500 in Nevada whose low-income families don’t qualify for Medicaid.

“As health insurance premiums climb to unsustainable rates, this program gives hard-working families access to otherwise unaffordable coverage,” the governors wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell R-Ky., House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “Without it, access to essential health services like well child exams, asthma medicine, and hospitalizations will be at risk.”

Other Nevada reprensentatives, including Republican Sen. Dean Heller and Democrat Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, have also urged the congressional leadership to reauthorize CHIP, known as Nevada Check Up here.

Like many other states, Nevada is relying on unused federal funds to cover the program until early 2018. Though state leaders requested $11.3 million in federal dollars to continue the program, the state will receive half that, securing coverage until mid-February.

Once that runs out, families will have to seek insurance for their children elsewhere if Congress hasn’t acted. The state Department of Health and Human Services Division of Health Care Finance and Policy will begin notifying affected families 30 days before funding runs dry, a spokeswoman confirmed.

In an emailed statement Tuesday, Sandoval said delayed action on CHIP could put those with serious medical conditions at risk.

“Any further delay in reauthorization will likely disrupt and potentially harm other vulnerable populations if the state is forced to begin paying for a service that has not been accounted for in our biennial budget,” the statement said.

Contact Jessie Bekker at jbekker@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4563. Follow @jessiebekks on Twitter.

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