While the House and Senate reconcile a final tax overhaul bill, the Ohio Federation of Teachers says Congress is ignoring an even bigger issue for the Ohio's children.
Union President Melissa Cropper says funding for the health care coverage of more than 200,000 Ohio children will run out at the end of February. The children are covered by CHIP, the national Children’s Health Insurance Program, which expired in September. Without Congressional reauthorization, Cropper says it’s not just a child’s health that’s at risk.
Health has such a direct impact on what happens to a child in the classroom. So, if they’re not getting health coverage, they’re not getting the healthcare that they need, they’re not going to be able to learn.
Educators more and more have to care for the whole child, Cropper says, and the correlation between health and student achievement makes CHIP an education issue.
