Health insurance for 68,000 Tennessee children could run out next September unless Congress renews the funding.
The CoverKids program is Tennessee’s version of the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program. CHIP covers around eight million children nationwide whose families have incomes too high for Medicaid and too low for private coverage.
A family of four making up to $59,628 a year can qualify for CoverKids.
Late last month, leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Finance Committee sent letters to each state governor, asking whether the program should be extended and, if so, what changes should be made. Those committees are responsible for any legislation that would extend the program’s funding.
Congress created CHIP in 1997 and reauthorized the program in 2009.