{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://evanjenkins.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-jenkins-urges-senate-reauthorize-chip", "REP. JENKINS URGES SENATE TO REAUTHORIZE CHIP", "2017-12-12", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "WV", "Evan Jenkins", "J000297", "evanjenkins.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Representative Evan Jenkins (R-W.Va.) has led a letter from the West Virginia House delegation urging the Senate to pass a long-term CHIP reauthorization and give families peace of mind this holiday season.\nIn the letter to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Reps. Jenkins, David McKinley and Alex Mooney wrote of the importance of CHIP to West Virginia and Appalachia.\n\u201cCentral Appalachia is largely rural, with access to care issues common in rural, remote areas. That makes CHIP even more imperative, as it encourages and promotes access to preventative and primary care for so many of our constituents. As of fiscal year 2016, about 1 million children in Central Appalachian states were enrolled in CHIP,\u201d they wrote.\nWest Virginia officials have said the state has enough funding for CHIP through March 2018, but quick action remains imperative. The House passed a five-year reauthorization bill in November, but the full Senate has yet to take up a CHIP reauthorization bill.\n\u201cWe must find a solution to guarantee stability and to guarantee that no child goes without health insurance. We must come together and finish the work of Congress and reauthorize CHIP,\u201d they wrote.\nA PDF of the letter is available here.\nThe full text of the letter is below.\nDecember 11, 2017\nSenator Orrin Hatch  \n\tChairman  \n\tSenate Committee on Finance  \n\t104 Hart Office Building  \n\tWashington, D.C. 20510\nDear Chairman Hatch,\nAs members of the House of Representatives who represent Central Appalachia congressional districts, we ask you to quickly pass the long-term CHIP reauthorization to give our families and children peace of mind as we approach the holiday season. Your leadership on CHIP and ensuring that millions of children receive quality health insurance and care is truly commendable, and we stand ready to work with you to pass this bill and send it to the president.\nCentral Appalachia is largely rural, with access to care issues common in rural, remote areas. That makes CHIP even more imperative, as it encourages and promotes access to preventative and primary care for so many of our constituents. As of fiscal year 2016, about 1 million children in Central Appalachian states were enrolled in CHIP.[1]\nThe House of Representatives passed the CHAMPIONING HEALTHY KIDS Act, H.R. 3922, which extended CHIP for five years. Additionally, Congress has voted to provide more time to reach a long-term solution by including a short-term funding fix for CHIP in the continuing resolution passed on December 7, 2017.\nAccording to a Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) issue brief, many of our states will exhaust CHIP funds early next year.[2] We must find a solution to guarantee stability and to guarantee that no child goes without health insurance. We must come together and finish the work of Congress and reauthorize CHIP.\nCHIP has been a lifeline to so many in Central Appalachia, and passing this legislation must remain a priority. In our state of West Virginia, reauthorizing CHIP will give certainty to so many going in to the new year. The work you have done on CHIP has helped many families in our region, and we are ready to work with you to finalize legislation and reauthorization this program.\nSincerely,\nEvan H. Jenkins\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\nDavid B. McKinley, P.E.\nAlex Mooney\n\u00a0\n\t  \n\t\t[1] CMS Medicaid \u201cReports and Evaluations Annual Enrollment Reports: 2016 Number of Children Ever Enrolled Report\u201d\n\t\n\t\n\t\t[2] MACPAC \u201cFederal CHIP Funding: When Will States Exhaust Allotments?\u201d July 2017", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://evanjenkins.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-jenkins-urges-senate-reauthorize-chip"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0219509713351727, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}