SCHIP Redux

SCHIP is back on the table!

Let the wrangling begin.

The federal-state health insurance program is set to expire at the end of March 2009. Until the election, prognosticators wondered if SCHIP would survive at all given the animus toward the program from the Bush administration and Congressional Republicans. Of course, this year's debate takes place in a vastly changed political environment. Congressional Republicans will be battling a proposed $31.5 billion expansion proposal for the popular program, which served some 7.4 million children in 2008. If you're interested in covering this topic, check out the Kaiser Family Foundation's resources on Medicaid and SCHIP, and its helpful fact sheet on SCHIP's reauthorization history.