[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 178 (Thursday, November 2, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H8423]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    CALLING FOR CHIP REAUTHORIZATION

  (Mr. McEACHIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McEACHIN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak on the importance of 
reauthorizing the Children's Health Insurance Program, commonly 
referred to as CHIP.
  In my home State of Virginia, there are 66,000 children and 1,100 
pregnant women who rely on CHIP. Almost 6,000 of those children and 
pregnant women live in my district. They need a clean reauthorization 
of CHIP. Instead, this week, we are expected to vote on a bill that 
will put my constituents at risk.
  As reported from committee, this new version of CHIP, the so-called 
HEALTHY KIDS Act, is loaded with poison pills that would undermine the 
Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and Medicaid. According to the 
Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, CHIP with 
Medicaid boosted the rate of children's health coverage to more than 95 
percent.
  Mr. Speaker, why tamper with such success? I urge my colleagues on 
the other side of the aisle to bring a bill to the floor that 
reauthorizes CHIP and supports our constituents.

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