- States May Roll Back Children's Health Coverage Without Money From Congress Politico by Rachana Pradhan and Sarah Frostenson — Federal funds for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) expired Sept. 30, leaving states to come up with short-term fixes to keep their programs going. CHIP, now in its 20th year, primarily covers children from low-income families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid. The program has long had bipartisan support, but lawmakers — consumed by the fight over Obamacare — blew past a key funding deadline and have been slow to extend new money. States haven't started to pare back coverage yet, but they're relying on short-term patches to keep their CHIP programs afloat.