Congress is finally about to restore federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, more than three months after it expired. The Senate is moving forward on a bill to reopen the federal government and extend federal CHIP funding for six years.
Why it matters: States — and the millions of families who rely on CHIP — can breathe easy after months of turmoil. Congress will return to its broader fight over immigration and government spending in just a few weeks, but health care coverage for 9 million children won’t be caught in the middle of that fight.