U.S. Senate passes health insurance bill
The U.S. Senate approved a bill late Thursday that would increase spending on the Child's Health Insurance Program by more than $30 billion over the next four-and-a-half years.
The bill, which passed 66-23, removes many of the barriers to enrollment for people who may qualify for the bill, according to its summary on Opencongress.org.
Included in the bill are measures allowing states to extend Medicaid and CHIP coverage to legal immigrants before five years of residency and grants for outreach and enrollment programs, according to the Congressional Budget Office's cost estimate.
According to the estimate, Medicaid coverage and CHIP enrollment under the act would require an individual only to submit a name and social security number instead of the documentary evidence of U.S. citizenship currently required.
Federal excise tax on tobacco will also increase, the estimate stated.