October 3, 2017 Re: Children’s Health Insurance Program Extension The Honorable Greg Walden Chairman House Energy and Commerce Committee U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 The Honorable Frank Pallone Ranking Member House Energy and Commerce Committee U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Chairman Walden and Ranking Member Pallone, We, the undersigned organizations in New Mexico, urge you to act quickly in passing legislation to extend funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and other vital healthcare programs including community health centers and home visiting services. Urgent action is needed to avoid a major funding cliff that would damage our healthcare system. CHIP is critical to the health of nearly 9 million children nationwide, including more than 11,300 children in New Mexico. Medicaid and CHIP together have helped our state reach a historic 96% insurance rate for our children. As you know, federal funding for CHIP expired on September 30. New Mexico expects to exhaust CHIP funds before May 2018. However, the State must make budgetary and programmatic decisions about Medicaid and CHIP during the state legislative session in January 2018. Without Congressional action to reauthorize CHIP, our State will face great uncertainty and likely budget cuts. New Mexico’s Human Services Department estimates that $31.2 million of costs would shift to the State if federal funding is not re-authorized. This would likely force cuts to healthcare or other public services, such as K-12 education and public safety initiatives. CHIP is vital to our children, ensuring that they can receive critical medical care, age appropriate developmental screenings, and preventive care that is foundational to each child’s well-being and lifelong success. Research shows that investing in kids now is an investment in the future. Healthy children come to school ready to learn and grow into productive community members. CHIP has also helped close healthcare coverage gaps that result in more equitable health outcomes. Medicaid and CHIP shield families from medical debt and having to make choices between food, rent and prescriptions. In New Mexico, CHIP has been especially important to small business owners who have been struggling through a prolonged economic recession, working families who do not have employer coverage, and parents caring for their children with disabilities and chronic health conditions. CHIP also provides an important source of healthcare in tribal communities, covering more than 1,400 Native American children. Medicaid and CHIP together have helped strengthen the healthcare infrastructure in New Mexico that has suffered from chronic workforce shortages, especially in rural areas -- supporting more than 50,000 jobs in New Mexico’s healthcare system. We urge you to quickly pass a clean extension of CHIP and continue the bipartisan commitment to this successful program. Like MACPAC and the National Governors Association, we encourage the committee to provide a five-year extension of funding at the current enhanced match. We further urge you to address funding for community health centers and Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) services that expired on September 30th. These services are an integral part of New Mexico’s primary care system, especially in underserved communities. The funding cliff and consequences would be extreme. Community health centers nationwide would lose 70% of their federal grants overall, representing one-fifth or more of their total revenues. The loss of MIECHV funding would threaten cuts to home visiting services for more than 1,000 parents and their young children in New Mexico. Like all MIECHV programs, New Mexico uses evidence-based home visiting models that are proven to improve health and educational outcomes, reduce child abuse and neglect, and promote positive parenting practices. Congress must act swiftly to preserve our healthcare system and ensure our children can continue to access high quality services. Sincerely, AFSCME Council 18 The ARC of New Mexico Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine Centro Savila Crossroads for Women Encuentro Equality New Mexico Esperanza Guidance Services, Inc. HealthAction New Mexico Interfaith Worker Justice – NM La Clinica de Familia La Cosecha League of Women Voters of New Mexico Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-New Mexico Nandini Pillai Kuehn Ph.D., MHA Native Health Initiative National Alliance on Mental Illness – Doña Ana County New Mexico Academy of Family Physicians New Mexico Association for Behavioral Analysis Cc: Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham Representative Ben Ray Lujan Representative Steve Pearce Senator Martin Heinrich Senator Tom Udall New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty New Mexico Pediatric Society New Mexico Voices for Children Norty Kalishman M.D. OLÉ New Mexico Parents Reaching Out Partnership for Community Action Pegasus Legal Services for Children Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains Prosperity Works Samantha Seidel, RN Scholars Strategy Network, New Mexico Chapter Southwest Women’s Law Center Strong Families New Mexico Young Children’s Health Center Young Women United