As states continue to burn through their Children's Health Insurance Program reserve funding, U.S. legislators said a funding bill could be passed as soon as next week, The Hill reports.
Here's what you should know:
1. According to The Hill, CHIP could be attached to a short-term funding bill that must pass before Jan. 19.
2. Funding has been stalled for months as legislators debated how to pay for the reauthorization bill.
3. The Congressional Budget Office issued a new estimate on the bill's cost that lowered the estimated price tag of a five-year extension from $8 billion to $800 million.
4. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., said legislators should have no issue finding a way to pay the smaller sum.
5. Instead, Mr. Walden said the decision to attach CHIP to the extension measure rests solely on legislative leadership. He believes now that the funding dispute has been "minimized," the measure should be included.