Congressman Sander Levin

Children's Health Care

One of the first actions of Congress this year was to pass legislation to continue and expand the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This legislation extended the program for another 5 years and enabled it to cover another 4 million uninsured children. The bill also improves the program by guaranteeing dental coverage and mental health care benefits.

The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was created by a bi-partisan coalition in Congress over 10 years ago to help states insure low-income children who are ineligible for Medicaid but cannot afford private insurance. Since its inception, the number of uninsured children in the U.S. has been cut by a third. However, as of last year, nine million American children, more than the population of New Jersey, were still without health insurance.

CHIP is an important partnership between states and the federal government. In Michigan’s program, called MIChild, the federal government currently provides 72% of funds. In other words, for every 28 cents Michigan spends on the program, the federal government puts in 72 cents. In 2007, the federal government contributed a total of $171 million to Michigan to help extend coverage to 114,000 Michigander children.

• More information about MIChild