On Wednesday, Governor Ducey sent a letter to members of Arizona’s congressional delegation, asking them to pass an extension of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), known in Arizona as KidsCare. It currently provides coverage to more than 23,000 children.
The governor is exploring options to extend coverage in the event Congress doesn’t act in time, including utilizing dollars at AHCCCS — without a change or lapse in coverage — to keep the program going through the Spring, and then backfill dollars once a bill is passed.
“Because of Congress’s inaction on the CHIP reauthorization bill, these families are in limbo, wondering whether their children will lose their health insurance,” the governor wrote. “This has never been a partisan issue and should not be one now. There are a lot of things that divide us, but taking care of these kids is something that should unite us. I urge all of you to speak with your leadership, ask them to bring the bill to the floor by December, and vote to continue this program and not pull the rug out from under thousands of Arizona kids.
The Arizona Senate Democrats issued a statement in support: “Governor Ducey’s letter to Arizona’s congressional delegation is the right move. His idea to dip into the Rainy Day Fund or reallocate AHCCCS funding to cover interim costs is also commendable and may be the only option Arizona kids have for the short term. Should we decide to take that route, Arizona should demand that Congress reimburse our state for any expenses incurred due to their inaction.”
In September, Arizona representatives Tom O’Halleran, Martha McSally, Raúl Grijalva, Ruben Gallego, and Kyrsten Sinema sent a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urging the leaders to bring a robust reauthorization of CHIP for a vote.
Following the 2015 reauthorization of CHIP, Arizona reopened the KidsCare program and expanded access to coverage to thousands of children.