Congress Funds CHIP, Some Extenders Until March 31

Congress on Thursday (Dec. 21) passed temporary government-spending legislation that funds until March 31 the Children’s Health Insurance Program, community health centers, National Health Service Corps, graduate medical education and the Special Diabetes Program, but funding for several other health care programs were left out of the bill. The bill also briefly delays across-the-board cuts known as sequestration to Medicare and other government programs, which Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) claimed as a victory, though she’ll have to wait until the...