Pocan Hopes Senate Approves Funding For Children’s Health Insurance Program

U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, says he hopes senators support a bipartisan House compromise to continue funding a health insurance program for children.

The House voted 392-37 in favor of a Medicare bill that funded the Child Health Insurance Program, also known as CHIP, about two weeks ago. Pocan said he’s hoping senators pay attention to how both conservatives and liberals supported the House bill.

“It really was a very rare thing to happen. Not quite unicorn rare, but almost to that level. And we want to make sure the Senate really looks at that,” said Pocan.

Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed state budget assumes that Congress will reauthorize CHIP with higher funding for states. The nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau says roughly 106,000 children are eligible for the program in Wisconsin.