Trending News Today: CHIP Reauthorization in Jeopardy Due to Healthcare Reform

The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provides health coverage for low-income children, is up for renewal at the end of September 2017. Due to the resources that will need to be devoted to Hurricane Harvey clean up and keeping the government open, advocates worry that CHIP reauthorization and funding may be in jeopardy, according to Kaiser Health News. If funding for the program is reduced or lawmakers limit eligibility, it could affect more than 9 million currently-insured children. With a full legislative calendar for this month and other healthcare priorities, such as repealing the Affordable Care Act, experts are concerned that broad support for the program may falter, according to the article.

Bipartisan state insurance regulators are urging Congress to seek an accelerated plan to stabilize the health insurance marketplace, according to the Los Angeles Times. The officials recommend that lawmakers keep subsidies as part of their combined effort to move forward and fill gaps left by the ACA. Since many insurers are considering hiking premiums without action by the end of September, the regulators are calling on lawmakers to pass a bill quickly, as prolonged uncertainty can have negative effects on the market, the Times reported.

Participating in aerobic fitness may change how cells work in a way that could reduce the risk of breast cancer, according to The New York Times. A new animal study found that physically fit rats were less likely to develop cancer after exposure to carcinogens, suggesting that fitness could stave off the disease. These results remained true even if rats did not participate in exercise but were genetically fit. The authors hypothesize that genetic fitness may reduce the risk of cancer, in addition to participating in cardiovascular exercises, according to the article.