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Unless the Children's Health Insurance Program is reauthorized in the next two weeks, Nevada is probably going to be forced to freeze enrollments in the program, meaning no more families will be able to get health care for their sick kids.
The state is preparing to be completely out of federal funding for the program in about six weeks. The state budgeted for the money, so if it doesn't come, they will have to have a special legislative session to try to figure out how to continue coverage for kids. Nevada isn't the only state facing disaster. All of them are, just maybe not as immediately as Nevada.
Meanwhile, the House is out on recess for a week. And House Republicans are continuing to hold CHIP hostage, demanding damaging and untenable cuts to public health and to Medicare in exchange.
"It's clear that House Republicans want to use reauthorization of children's health insurance and Community Health Centers as a way to further undermine the Affordable Care Act and weaken Medicare," [Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) ranking member on Energy and Commerce] said.
"Republicans remain fixated on sabotaging the ACA anyway they can. I reject the premise that we can only offer health care to children by taking it away from others, and, to date, Republicans refuse to budge in that regard."
Republicans want to cut public health funding included in Obamacare and put more means-testing on Medicare premiums. Those are obscene negotiating demands. They are made even more obscene by the fact that the highest priority Republicans now have is giving the top 1 percent more than $200,00 average in tax cuts every year. Which don't have to be paid for.