- A Battle for Children's Health Coverage on Two Fronts Modern Healthcare by Shelby Livingston — As Sept. 30 approaches, pediatric providers are grappling with the potential loss of funding for two programs responsible for huge gains in the health insurance coverage for children. Combined, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid, both of which provide health coverage to uninsured children in families that can't afford it elsewhere, cover an estimated 46 million children. Federal funding for CHIP expires at the end of the month, the same time that Republican Senators run out of time to pass an Affordable Care Act repeal-and-replace by a simple majority. Nonpartisan organizations expect that repeal bill to gut Medicaid funds to states by billions. Provider organizations are scrambling to fight for funding on both fronts. "We can do all this work to get CHIP reauthorized…but all that work will be for naught if the Graham-Cassidy bill passes," said Louise McCarthy, president and CEO of the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County, which represents 62 not-for-profit clinics who see mostly Medicaid patients.