{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://lance.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/lance-backs-chip-renewal-extending-medicaid-in-puerto-rico", "Lance Backs CHIP Renewal, Extending Medicaid in Puerto Rico", "2017-11-03", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "NJ", "Leonard Lance", "L000567", "lance.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. --- Congressman Leonard Lance (NJ-07) voted yes today to reauthorize the Children\u2019s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) through fiscal year 2022.\u00a0\u00a0 Lance has supported the Children\u2019s Health Insurance Program since his first days in Congress.\u00a0 Lance also secured passage of the HELP Puerto Rico Act, legislation he authored with Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonz\u00e1lez-Col\u00f3n, that would provide $1 billion in funding to Puerto Rico\u2019s Medicaid funding.\u00a0 The HELP Puerto Rico Act passed as part of CHIP bill.\n\u201cThis legislation accomplishes the very important goals of reauthorizing the Children\u2019s Health Insurance Program, community health centers and extending critical resources for Medicaid in Puerto Rico.\u00a0 One of the first votes I cast in Congress was for CHIP - creating a fiscally responsible health program that now serves 8.5 million children in the United States.\u00a0 And I continue to support community health centers and the work they do for underserved areas like Dover and Somerville, New Jersey.\u00a0 We also cannot forget about the many families and children in Puerto Rico who also benefit from the Medicaid program.\u00a0 That\u2019s why I am teamed up with Resident Commissioner Gonz\u00e1lez-Col\u00f3n to make sure low-cost federal health care continues to be made available to our American children in Puerto Rico,\u201d said Lance.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\nPuerto Rico Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonz\u00e1lez-Col\u00f3n praised passage of the Lance provisions.\u00a0 \u201cI thank Congressman Leonard Lance for listening to my concerns and\u00a0working together on this authorization.\u00a0 Achieving this authorization this week is a great relief in the course of all the work we have been carrying out on the one hand for the island\u2019s recovery after Hurricane Mar\u00eda and at the same time on the other to keep pushing in D.C. for inclusive treatment for Puerto Rico,\u201d said Gonz\u00e1lez-Col\u00f3n.\nLance\u2019s Energy and Commerce Committee took the lead in reauthorizing the CHIP program this year as well as federally-supported community health centers.\u00a0 CHIP is an important safety net program that provides health care to lower-income children and federally qualified health centers collectively serve more than 22 million patients in more than 9,000 communities in every state and territory.\u00a0 Lance and Gonz\u00e1lez-Col\u00f3n worked together to make sure the legislative package also addressed the Puerto Rico Medicaid program and ensured authorization for nearly $900 million in funding until the end of 2019.\u00a0 An additional $120 million may be provided if steps are taken to reduce Medicaid fraud, waste and abuse.\u00a0 Medicaid continues to provide critical health care delivery needs for the citizens of Puerto Rico and the program is under significant financial strain as the Commonwealth recovers from Hurricane Maria.\u00a0 Lance and Gonz\u00e1lez-Col\u00f3n\u2019s bill gives Puerto Rico financial certainty to continue providing critical services through the Medicaid program.\u00a0 As of June 2015, 1.7 million people are enrolled in the Medicaid and CHIP program in Puerto Rico.", 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://lance.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/lance-backs-chip-renewal-extending-medicaid-in-puerto-rico"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5600479673594236, "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"}