On April 14, the Senate overwhelmingly approved the Medicare and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act (H.R. 2) by a vote of 92-8. The House approved the measure on March 26 (see The Source, 3/27/15). President Obama signed the bill into law on April 16.
The law extends the CHIP program for two years and provides $3.6 billion through FY2017 for community health centers. In addition, the measure extends through FY2017 the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, the Personal Responsibility Education Program, which funds comprehensive sex education, and the federal abstinence education program.
During its consideration of the bill, the Senate rejected an amendment by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) to improve women’s access to quality health care and an amendment by Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) to extend CHIP for four years.
