ARKANSAS (KFSM) -- If your child is one of the 120,000 on ARKids First children's health insurance program, their coverage could be in jeopardy.
Congress needs to approve funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program or CHIP, so kids who have insurance through ARKids will continue to have access to health care.
ARKids First health insurance covers children whose families have low income, but not low enough to be on Medicaid.
“ARKids First ensures that kids have access to a doctor for preventative care, from everything from shots to just their wellness checkups, so we can make sure there aren't any interventions that we need to make sure that kids have before they start school,” Laura Kellams said.
Laura Kellams is the Northwest Arkansas Director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. She said this program has been very successful, reducing our uninsured rate from 23 percent down to 4 percent. She said it's vital congress takes this on now.
“States can't plan ahead for their expenses and for the coverage for kids. And families can't plan ahead and make sure that they know that their families will have the care that they need unless Congress goes ahead and reauthorizes this,” she said.
On Oct. 1, kids will still have health coverage in Arkansas. The state estimates the program could be funded into early 2018.
The bill that would reauthorize funding for CHIP is called the Kids Act of 2017, and impacts every state in the union. It is currently in the U.S. Senate.