U.S. governors aren't taking no for an answer. Despite pressure to drop the matter, the National Governors Association (NGA) is continuing to press for Congressional help with keeping several State Children's Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP) afloat. The NGA is demanding that Congress authorize $745 million in new federal funding to keep SCHIP programs afloat. Otherwise, programs in as many as 14 states could be on the skids, NGA projects. HHS secretary Mike Leavitt told the NGA that the administration wants to work with the states, but doesn't favor the kind of quick congressional action the governors seek. Leavitt and others hope to see the states find other ways to pay for for SCHIP coverage, including shifting beneficiaries into Medicaid.
To get more information on the controversy:
- read this piece from The Hill