ABSTRACT
At present, the CHIP authorization will end on September 30, 2015. Whether that authorization will eventually be extended or CHIP merged into a broader coverage design, good use can be made of the program’s resources and political assets, but to what ends? CHIPRA makes clear that the prime objective of CHIP is to enroll more kids, not to provide a back door to adult coverage or bridge the gap between Medicaid and employer-sponsored insurance. All the same, CHIPRA and PPACA included CHIP in a number of initiatives aimed at improving access and quality of care, subsidizing applications of health information technology (HIT), coordinating care, and containing costs (or “bending the curve”)—though without providing a description or articulate statement of what, beyond covering kids, the program should be about or aim to achieve.
