A program that provides health insurance to 83,000 Alabama children could run out of money by March after Congress missed a weekend funding deadline, according to an administrator with the Alabama Department of Public Health.

The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) launched in 1997 and provides funding for children in families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but still struggle to afford coverage. In Alabama, the program is called ALL Kids and is administered through the Alabama Department of Public Health. For the past two years, 100 percent of the funding for ALL Kids has come from the federal government.

The program covers routine care, including check-ups and vaccinations, as well as prescriptions and hospital care. Services are provided at low or no cost for covered families. In Alabama, premiums range from $52 to $104 a year per child, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health website.

In 1997, when CHIP first passed, more than 20 percent of Alabama children lacked health coverage, Caldwell said. That figure dropped to 2 percent in recent years. Caldwell said CHIP has been "vitally critical" in reducing the number of uninsured children in the state.

"I certainly worry about families' anxieties worrying about the future of the program," Caldwell said. "There is an urgent need to reauthorize funding."