By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services via Arizona Capitol Times
Gov. Doug Ducey may tap the state’s “rainy day fund” to keep health care coverage for 23,000 Arizona children until Congress finally acts.
The governor said Tuesday that both the House and Senate are weighing legislation to restore funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program. It provides free care for children in families earning up to twice the federal poverty level, or about $40,840 a year for a family of three.
Cash for CHIP ran out when the federal fiscal year ended on Sept. 30.
In the interim, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has used unspent dollars from the just-ended budget year to keep the program alive. But Christina Corieri, the governor’s health adviser, said those funds are expected to dry up by the middle of December.
After that?
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