Nearly 9 million children in families with incomes above Medicaid eligibility thresholds are covered by the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in a year. In Washington State, 47,000 children are currently covered by CHIP. However, the program continues to be subject to short-term funding extensions, hampering planning and budgeting by state policymakers and families.  The current authorization period ends with the federal fiscal year on September 30. The Senate Finance Committee will hold a bipartisan hearing on CHIP in September. Time is running out and we’ll keep a close eye on this one.