Lawmakers Asked to Expand CHIP

After a veto-marked battle on Capitol Hill over expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program, The Associated Press reports on efforts to get the ball rolling at the Legislature.

West Virginians for Affordable Health Care "wants to expand CHIP eligibility to children in families earning 250 percent of the federal poverty limit," AP health care writer Tom Breen explains. "A family of four making 250 percent of the federal poverty limit would earn roughly $50,000 a year."

"Currently, CHIP, which covers about 39,000 children, is offered to those making 220 percent of the poverty limit, or about $44,000 a year for a family of four," the article said.

But funding remains the key stumbling block, Breen writes, with officials telling him "the state is monitoring the situation in Washington, but is committed to remaining at 220 percent for now."