Government Healthcare Policy, Business and Technology

CHIP Isn't the Only Program for Children and Babies That Congress Let Expire

Governing: Last month, Congress let funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) expire, sending states that rely on that money scrambling to figure out how to pay for it. But CHIP wasn't the only casualty of congressional inaction on Sept. 30.

The lesser-known Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV), which is federally-funded but administered by states, also expired that day.

The program helps at-risk parents -- teen mothers and substance abusers, for example -- care for their children during their first years of life. Nurses and social workers provide them with pre- and postnatal care, parenting skills and counseling on education and job opportunities. It varies from state to state, but most participants receive home visits until their kids are two or three.

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