#CHIPworks Toolkit: Tell Congress to Extend CHIP Funding
The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) has enjoyed strong, bipartisan support for decades, and ensures that children have access to health benefits like well-child checkups, vaccines and more.
With CHIP funding set to expire on September 30, 2017, long-term funding is needed for this program soon. Please use the toolkit resources below to solicit organizations to add their name to this CHIP sign-on letter to ensure that CHIP continues to help the families and children who need it most.
LETTER TO CONGRESS
RESOURCES
- Fact Sheet: Key Facts about the CHIP Program (FirstFocus.org)
- Fact Sheet: Why CHIP is Still the Best Deal for Kids (FirstFocus.org)
- Op-Ed: Renewing CHIP is a Bipartisan No-brainer (YouthToday)
SAMPLE NEWLSETTER TEXT
Subject Line: Join the Movement Urging Congress to Extend CHIP Funding
Headline: Add Your Name: Tell Congress to Extend CHIP Funding
Subhead: [ORG] Signs Letter Urging Lawmakers to Extend CHIP Funding
Body:
More than 8.9 million American children and families rely on the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to keep their kids healthy through checkups, vaccines and more. It’s a program that has enjoyed strong bipartisan support for decades. But current funding expires on September 30, 2017. First Focus is circulating a new CHIP sign-on letter among thousands of groups urging Congress to extend funding for CHIP as soon as possible.
[ORG] has signed this letter and asks you [affiliates, partners] to join us by adding your organization's name to this letter. These letters work; a previous sign-on effort in February 2015 resulted in more than 1,600 national, state and local organizations!
This letter is a fantastic tool to demonstrate strong support for CHIP's continuation. We ask for your support now to ensure that families continue to receive health care for their children.
In times of great uncertainty in Congress, we need your help to ensure CHIP funding is extended. [ORG] has signed the letter by First Focus calling on Congress to take "swift action" on extending CHIP funding to ensure that health care coverage for 8.9 million children will not be disrupted.
Won't you join us? It’s easy:
- Read the letter.
- Add your name.
- Tell your networks
The deadline for signing has been extended to May 10, 2017.
Thank you for raising your voice for children!
SAMPLE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS
- 8.9M children rely on #CHIP. Add your voice to tell Congress to extend funding: http://ow.ly/ZJ7030bemrF #CHIPworks #InvestInKids
- #CHIP assures a pediatric-appropriate network of providers. Urge Congress to extend funding: http://ow.ly/ZJ7030bemrF #CHIPworks #InvestInKids
- 8.9M children could lose health coverage in September. Urge Congress to extend #CHIP funding:http://ow.ly/ZJ7030bemrF. #CHIPworks
- #CHIP is good for kids, good for families, good for states, & good for taxpayers. What’re they waiting for? http://ow.ly/ZJ7030bemrF #CHIPworks
- #CHIP is proven to be a cost-effective, evidence-based program that works for children. Tell Congress to extend funding: http://ow.ly/ZJ7030bemrF #CHIPworks #InvestInKids
- Failure by Congress to extend funding for CHIP would be devastating for the 8.9M children who rely on it. #CHIPworks
- #CHIP has a long history of bipartisan support. Tell Congress to renew & extend funding: http://ow.ly/ZJ7030bemrF. #CHIPworks
SOCIAL MEDIA GRAPHICS
Choose from one of four social media graphics to share with partners, chapters and networks to urge them to add their name to this critical letter.
FOR INDIVIDUALS
Not with an official organization? You can still make your voice heard. Use this petition form to send a letter to your member of Congress and urge them to extend CHIP funding. This is the text that will be sent:
I’m writing to urge you to support long-term funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program.
CHIP has enjoyed strong, bipartisan support for decades, and ensures that children have access to health benefits like well-child checkups, vaccines and more.
With CHIP funding set to expire on September 30, 3017, long-term funding is needed for this program soon. Please work with other policymakers on Capitol Hill to ensure that CHIP continues to help the families and children who need it most.
QUESTIONS?
Please reach out to Lisa Shapiro, Vice President of Health Policy: [email protected].
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