While CHIP is authorized through 2019, funding for CHIP will virtually disappear in 2015. Funding for CHIP must be continued until at least 2019 so states can keep children enrolled in child-appropriate health coverage without gaps or loss of coverage entirely. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that inaction by Congress would reduce CHIP enrollment by more than 50 percent – from 12.7 million children enrolled in FY2015 down to 4.9 million in FY2016 – with 2 million of those children losing health coverage altogether. Millions more would likely get less comprehensive coverage at greater cost. Either outcome would be an enormous step backwards for children.
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