CHIPP Act

This bill would make the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) permanent so kids can keep getting coverage without Congress having to renew it every few years. It keeps money flowing to states every year after 2029 to run CHIP, so families don’t face gaps in care. It also makes permanent the “Express Lane” option that lets states use info from other programs, like SNAP, to quickly check if children qualify and enroll them faster. The bill continues support for outreach and enrollment work and for improving how children’s health care quality is measured.

States would be allowed to raise income limits to cover more children than they do today, if they choose. It keeps a backup fund in place to help states pay for sudden spikes in kids’ enrollment. The bill also sets funding to improve child health quality measures at $15 million in 2030 and then increases it each year with inflation.

• Who is affected: Children who need health coverage, their families, and state Medicaid/CHIP agencies.
• What changes: CHIP becomes permanent; faster enrollment using existing data; states can choose to raise income limits; ongoing outreach, quality improvement, and an enrollment backup fund.
• When: Funding for CHIP continues automatically every year after 2029; quality-measures funding is $15 million in 2030 and then grows with inflation.