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By Peter Knudson
Utah State Senator, District 17

I was absolutely thrilled when I heard that Governor Huntsman had asked the United States Congress to reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). I was the original sponsor of this legislation when I served in the Utah State House of Representatives and have been very involved in the CHIP program ever since. I cannot think of many battles of which I am more proud, or any program more beneficial to the health of children across this country.

Working parents who have very low incomes, who are unable to get insurance for their children through their employers can qualify for benefits through the CHIP program. Many CHIP recipients make enough money to exclude Medicaid as an option, but they don't make enought to provide adequate medical care for their children. CHIP helps.

I think CHIP is a tremendous program and I applaud Governor Huntsman for taking action to reauthorize it. Hopefully, his plea will ring through the ears of the lawmakers in Congress and they will re-enact and fund this great program.

6 Comments:

 Anonymous said...

I applaud the bold stance taken here by Sen. Knudson. Its a daring move to come out in favor of healthy children. Bold.

6/27/2007 9:14 AM  

 The Senate Site said...

Dude. It’s just a blog. He likes CHIP and likes the Governor's stance. Cynicism is bad for your heart.

6/27/2007 1:28 PM  

 Gus said...

"Bold. . ." Almost as bold as mean-spirited anonymous blog comments.

6/27/2007 2:55 PM  

 The Senate Site said...

Exactly. And I trust the irony of that comment isn't lost on you, "Gus."

6/27/2007 5:31 PM  

 Anonymous said...

So Robert Novak in a column today said some things, if accurate, that make me wonder about Chip.

1. Sen. Clinton has recommended that the threshold for chip participation be 400% of the federal poverty level. What? Families earning 82k a year eligible for chip?
2. The reauthorization increases funding from 25 billion to 75 billion. Where does the tripling of funds go?
4. 14 states also are allowed to fund adult medical expenses through chip. Minnesota spent 95% of its allotment on adults. Maybe they should call it AHIP instead of CHIP. Does Utah spend any of CHIP on adults?

Mark Steele

6/28/2007 1:43 PM  

 The Senate Site said...

I believe the child has to be under the age of 19.

Source:
http://health.utah.gov/chip/faqs.html

6/28/2007 6:06 PM  

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