In a 92-8 vote, the U.S. Senate last night passed a bill that includes a two-year extension on the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP). The legislation now goes to President Obama for signature.
The initiatives are part of a bill addressing Medicare reimbursement for physicians. It was adopted two weeks ago by the U.S. House with strong bipartisan support.
As noted by the Association for Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP), part of a national coalition of advocacy groups that worked to garner Congressional support, “Together these programs provide critical investments in the health of women, children and families.”
In Florida, MIECHV funding supports the implementation of three evidence-based home visiting programs—Nurse Family Partnership (NFP), Healthy Families Florida (HFF) and Parents as Teachers (PAT) in 14 high-need communities. In 2014, these program provided more than 10,000 home visits to 929 families in the state.