Continued CHIP Funding And What It Means For North Carolina

The measure that passed Monday night to reopen the government has big implications for the Children's Health Insurance Program or CHIP. Without a deal, funding would have run out. 

CHIP was a bipartisan initiative that began in 1997 to serve children of low-income families – those who made too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford private coverage. Under the program, a child is defined as anyone under the age of 19.

The state's version of CHIP is called North Carolina Health Choice.

And it's popular. According to the state Department of Health and Human Services, as of this month, there are over 95,000 children enrolled in North Carolina. And over 90 percent of children who are eligible for the program participate.

CHIP programs around the country are jointly funded by states and the federal government. The short-term spending agreement passed by the House and Senate Monday night secures funding for CHIP for the next six years.