Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. urged Congress Tuesday to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program to help decrease the growing number of Utah children without health insurance.

The program, which provides health insurance to nearly 27,000 Utah children in low-income families, will expire this year unless Congress renews it, said David Sundwall, executive director of the Utah Department of Health.

The percentage of uninsured Utah children is growing, probably because more small businesses are unable to afford health insurance for their employees and Utah's average family size is higher than average, Sundwall said. In Utah, 11.9 percent of the total population is uninsured.

"For a state like Utah, (CHIP) is so critical," Sundwall said.

Huntsman is especially interested in CHIP because it plays a crucial role in his goal to make sure every Utahn has health insurance, Sundwall said.

Children whose parents earn up to 200 percent of the poverty level but who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid are eligible for CHIP coverage.

According to the Utah Department of Health, about 45,200 children eligible for CHIP coverage are uninsured. The Utah Legislature approved $4.2 million in new funds for CHIP at this year's legislative session, enough to cover half of all eligible children who are uninsured. The federal government matches and exceeds state funds for the program, he said.

Sundwall said CHIP is a popular program and Congress will probably renew it. A recent poll by Dan Jones & Associates showed 88 percent of Utahns support the program, he said.

A Senate hearing on the program was scheduled for today, and the House will also discuss it soon, he said.

More than 110,000 Utah children have received health insurance through CHIP during the decade since it was created.

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