Over $12 billion granted to health insurances through Senate budget deal

The senate has reached a bipartisan deal to allocate more funding for a range of health programs, including efforts to combat the national opioid epidemic, on Feb. 2, 2018 by the Senate.  The deal allows for a decade’s more of funding for Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP),  over $6 billion for fighting the opioid epidemic, $4 billion for veterans’ hospitals and $2 billion for the National Institutes of Health .

CHIP, a children’s health insurance program that provides for over 9 million children, helps families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford private insurance plans to provide their children with health insurance.  President Donald Trump originally signed for its termination on Feb. 5 despite its official expiration being  on Oct. 1, but Senate Finance Committee granted CHIP the ten year renewal.

The renewal dismayed some progressive Democrats, who had vowed not to vote for any short term bills until the Dreamers had received funding according to Kaiser Health News.   The measure also delayed the collection of unpopular taxes that raise revenues to pay for the ACA’s benefits such as high benefit “Cadillac” Health Plans.

Despite all the health funding, the bill does not extend to Community Health Centers, which is expired on Sep. 30 and is running out of money according to Business Insider.

The bill  would also provide $54 billion in funding for the military above mandatory federal spending caps and $37 billion for domestic programs.