"It's very important to enact this policy," Grassley said. "Without it, Iowa and other states might have to turn away children in need of health care. We can't allow that to happen."
Grassley said he committed to his Senate colleagues in January to redistribute the unspent federal State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) funds through legislation. The legislation, which the Finance Committee passed unanimously, redistributes unspent S-CHIP dollars among states that spent all of their allotments. It also allows states a two-year window to cover children with dollars that otherwise would have reverted to the federal Treasury. The bill reflects bipartisan, bicameral support.
More than 16,000 low-income children are enrolled in HAWK-I, the Iowa S-CHIP program. Through the Grassley legislation, Iowa retains $1.4 million that it had returned to the federal government and gains an additional $2.8 million.