Chairman Emanuel, Rep. Courtney Team to Improve, Expand SCHIP Program
Chairman Emanuel, Rep. Courtney Team to Improve, Expand SCHIP Program
Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (IL-05) joined today to announce that the Connecticut lawmaker has signed on as an original cosponsor to an initiative improving access to health care for Connecticut's and the nation's 6.8 million children who currently have no coverage.
The Healthy Kids Act is a comprehensive measure to be introduced in coming weeks by Representative Emanuel to improve access and affordability to quality health care through the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) more commonly known as HUSKY in Connecticut.
"If there is one thing we can all agree on, it is that our children deserve a chance to grow up healthy and strong, and it is our responsibility to ensure they have access to quality, affordable health care," said Emanuel. "And according to a New York Times/CBS News poll released last week, an overwhelming majority of Americans support SCHIP."
"I am proud to be an original cosponsor of the Healthy Kids Act because Connecticut's and America's children must have access to first-rate health care," stated Courtney. "Connecticut's children deserve a healthy start to their lives and I will work tirelessly to make sure that Connecticut has all the tools necessary to help achieve that goal. I applaud Chairman Emanuel for his leadership on this issue and look forward to working with him to champion this critical cause."
The Healthy Kids Act will improve children's access to health care by streamlining the SCHIP enrollment process and providing states with the resources needed to provide coverage to eligible children.
There are 73,421 Connecticut children currently uninsured, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Of those uninsured 49,192 would qualify for Medicaid or HUSKY but are not enrolled. The remaining 24,228 uninsured kids could use the Health Savings Tax Credit help purchase coverage through HUSKY B or another qualified program.
States that enact five policies to streamline the process for enrollment will receive a two percentage point increase in the Medicaid and SCHIP funding match. Connecticut already meets most of the incentive policy requirements.
The bill will go further by providing families not eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP with a Healthy Savings Tax Credit, which can be used to purchase health coverage for their children.
The United States Congress will begin the process of reauthorizing the federal SCHIP this year, which expires in September. The non-partisan and independent Congressional Research Service states that the SCHIP program will need an increase of $13 billion to $15 billion over the next five years to maintain current services to America's uninsured children and families, but President Bush has only requested $5 billion over the next five years putting the health of Connecticut's and the nation's children at risk.
The Healthy Kids Act has gained support from both organized labor involved in the health care industry, the health insurance industry and bipartisan support from Members of Congress.
The Healthy Kids Act has secured support from SEIU, America's Health Insurance Plans, American Hospital Association, Healthcare Leadership Council, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Ascension Health, Kaiser Permanente, American Medical Association, Johnson & Johnson, Families USA, Federation of American Hospitals, American Academy of Family Physicians, United Health Group, Catholic Health Association and American Public Health Association are members of the Health Care Coalition for the Uninsured (HCCU).
The Healthy Kids Act will cost approximately $60 billion over five years. By implementing the Simplification through Additional Tax Reporting Tax (START) Act of 2007, and closing the capital gains tax gap, over the next five years, Congress will raise more than the $60 billion and pay for the Healthy Kids Act.
http://courtney.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=60653