Posted on January 26, 2018
Thank Congress for reauthorizing CHIP and ask them to support MIECHV!
The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which helps to fund NJ FamilyCare was finally extended on Monday as part of the short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) spending bill Congress passed and the President signed to end the federal government shutdown. This extension is set to last six years. This is a BIG deal for nearly 200,000 children in New Jersey and millions of children across the country.
Our state has always enjoyed bi-partisan support for NJ FamilyCare and CHIP because these programs have successfully reduced the number of uninsured New Jersey children to 3.7 percent, the lowest ever. With this insurance, these children can see their doctor on a regular basis and receive the preventive health and dental care they need to remain healthy and attend school ready to learn.
But we are not done. The funding for other critical programs such as the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visitation (MIECHV) program also expired. MIECHV supports home visitation programs in our state which connect new parents with trained home visitors, such as nurses, social workers, and educators. These programs have undergone scientific studies proving their effectiveness in helping to end multi-generational cycles of poverty and put families on the path to good health, educational success and economic self-sufficiency.
