Through the leadership of Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), President Barack Obama signed legislation renewing the Children’s Health Insurance Program for another four-and-a-half years.

CHIP provides coverage for more than 17,000 Montana youth up to age 19. In Libby, 36 percent of children attended to in 2008 at the Lincoln County Community Health Center were uninsured.

“This program is especially helpful to rural areas in Montana,” said Maria Clemons, executive director of the health center.

Clemons emphasized that CHIP promotes proactive versus reactive health care.

“People are more likely to get the routine things done and to get a check up when something feels wrong,” she said.

Clemons said there are horror stories everyday of parents not bringing a child in for care because they cannot afford it.

“CHIP provides much-needed health care for these kids,” Clemons said.

Baucus’s legislation halted the potential March cessation of CHIP.

“We’ve done right by kids in Montana and across the country. Parents now won’t have to choose between food on the table and making sure their children get the health care they need,” Baucus said.

Obama invited Montana’s sole representative, Denny Rehberg, to the Feb. 4 signing of CHIP because of the Republican’s show of support for the legislation.

“Washington spends a lot of money on stupid things,” Rehberg said, “but providing health insurance for kids isn’t one of them.”

The new CHIP plan preserves health coverage for 6.7 million children nationally and expands coverage to 3.9 million more.