Local moms push for 'CHIP' reauthorization

A group of Avondale and Price Hill moms are gathering Wednesday to fight for their children's health insurance. More than 432,000 kids across Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio rely on the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), but its funding is about to run out. CHIP is a federally funded program that covers children whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but who do not have access to adequate health insurance options. However, Ohio will run out of funding by the end of February if not re-authorized by Congress. "The time is now for us to renew the CHIP program," said Dr. Ray Bignall, a clinical fellow in pediatric nephrology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. "Children across our state are running the risk of losing their healthcare insurance within several weeks. There is really no room for error." Bignall treats children with kidney disease and said they use CHIP to treat some of the highest risk patients.