The federal State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), created in 1997, has been a basic source of funding for children's health coverage programs in California. In 2007, after deadlocking over legislation to reauthorize and expand the program, Congress and the president agreed to extend SCHIP at its previous funding level until March 2009. The following publications contain CHCF's analyses of the policy issues behind the debate over SCHIP and the potential ramifications for California.

• SCHIP at the Crossroads: California's Options in Responding to New Federal Funding Conditions (August 2008). This paper analyzes the new requirements for federal SCHIP funding that were originally scheduled to take effect on August 18, 2008. With the federal government now holding off on enforcing its directive and California declaring that it will not comply, the issue of whether states will be allowed to preserve their existing programs remains unresolved.
• The Possible Impact upon California of Reduced SCHIP Funding (September 2007). As President Bush threatened to veto a congressional compromise bill, this white paper examined the potential scenarios for continued SCHIP funding and summarized how they would affect California's coverage programs.
• The Future of California's SCHIP Program: Analyzing the Proposed Legislation (July 2007). This report examines the two most prominent proposals Congress had considered in crafting its compromise bill. It assesses the issues relevant to the funding debate, including possible changes to rules governing eligibility, benefits, and cost sharing.
• Funding California's SCHIP Coverage: What Will It Cost? (May 2007). During the last decade, California has spent $5.3 billion to provide SCHIP coverage to more than a million children and women. This report provides a financial analysis of how much money the state will require to maintain and expand SCHIP coverage.

The reports are available under Document Downloads.