The Children’s Health Insurance Program was created 20 years ago to address the high number of uninsured low-income children. Though it has given children coverage, CHIP has significant room to improve the range of options available to the program’s young enrollees.

Congress still needs to address the underlying structural problems within CHIP.

Every few years, Congress re-evaluates the program before it renews funding. But this time, funding expired on Sept. 30. Recently, the House took a floor vote on a bill that, for the most part, simply affirmed the status quo.

An official report of the Government Accountability Office revealed that CHIP children are three times more likely to have difficulty obtaining a referral to a specialist than their privately insured peers. They are also more likely to use the emergency department.

This points to a fundamental access problem within the program—and a problem that is solvable.

Read the full article on the Children's Health Insurance Program by Meridian M. Paulton at The Heritage Foundation