Congress is forgetting the needs of 400,000 children in Texas

In a democracy, we get the leaders we deserve, right?

That’s what I remind myself as I watch the dismantling of this country’s institutions, civility and integrity and when I see our president offending our friends and courting our enemies, when I see the indictments and last week’s guilty plea by a former national security adviser for lying to the FBI about Russia, and when I see a tax proposal that favors the rich and is predicted to drive up the deficit by $1 trillion over a decade. These consequences were earned. They weren’t imposed on us by some foreign power or some military dictator installed by a coup. We, the people — the American electorate as represented by the Electoral College — we did this.

And sometimes, in my radical moments, I think maybe we needed this as some kind of reset, or reality check, some kind of proof that being informed and involved matter, and that using votes as bumper stickers — to cleverly flip off the status quo — has consequences.

But even if we, the American people, deserve this, the same cannot be said for American kids.

They didn’t have a vote. They didn’t have a say. And now, through no fault of their own, 9 million of them across the nation stand to lose their health insurance because of Congress’ failure to fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program, a federal-state program known as CHIP.

Here in Texas, if a last-minute plea by Gov. Greg Abbott’s administration to the federal government for $90 million in stop-gap funding falls through, then money will run out at the end of January, and the program will shut down, The Dallas Morning News first reported. By law, parents would need to be notified in advance.

Imagine: Days before Christmas, the parents of 400,000 young Texans enrolled in CHIP

could get letters telling them their son or daughter won’t have coverage to see a doctor or a dentist starting in February.

In addition to kids, about 36,000 women getting prenatal and postpartum care through the program could lose it, even more concerning when you consider Texas’ high rate of maternal deaths.

Not so confident

Cancellation letters have already begun in other states set to run out of CHIP funding sooner.

Texas officials who administer CHIP seem to have confidence that the $90 million will come in time to keep the program going, but even so, it’s temporary. Some congressional leaders have expressed confidence that funding can be restored in December as part of a larger spending package.

But given the worth of words in Washington today, we shouldn’t hold our breath.

“It’s hard to feel confident that Congress will meet any deadlines these days,” said Anne Dunkelberg, a health policy expert and associate director at the Center for Public Policy Priorities in Austin.

She and other health advocates have expressed shock and concern that Congress has let the limbo go on for so long.

So what’s the problem here? What led Congress to allow CHIP funding to expire in September and fail to renew it ever since? Is it an actual substantial disagreement over some wasteful welfare program that only a liberal could love?

No.

Bipartisan program

CHIP has enjoyed bipartisan support since its inception 20 years ago. Sen. John Cornyn, RTexas, has portrayed it as a model for other programs because of the flexibility allowed to states administering it.

The federal-state program was created for children in low-income families whose parents can’t afford private health insurance but make just enough not to qualify for Medicaid.

Liberals like CHIP because it provides families with health care designed for kids, without giant deductibles or out-of-pocket costs, and because it’s simple to apply and renew coverage. Conservatives like the fact that it requires families to share in costs, which they say increases accountability among consumers.

In truth, there’s no good reason why the program hasn’t been funded. Initially, there was a disagreement about whether the renewed funding should be tethered to cuts, including some in Medicare.

Tax breaks before kids

But lately, the problem seems to be one of priorities, despite pleas from a list of groups representing children, doctors, hospitals and others.

The Senate has been laser-focused on President Donald Trump’s top goal. Hint: It ain’t the kids.

It’s a tax overhaul, House and Senate versions of which are expected to provide only modest tax cuts for middleincome families and huge windfalls for wealthy Americans, including the president himself.

The message is unmistakable: In America today, unnecessary benefits to the rich come before, quite literally, the vital health benefits of 9 million children.

Maybe the American people deserve these leaders, but our kids don’t.

If you still prioritize the health and well-being of America’s children — America’s future — let your representatives in Congress know. Tell them to get their priorities straight and fund CHIP now.