Rep. Courtney Leads Effort to Improve Children's Health Care

Rep. Courtney Leads Effort to Improve Children's Health Care

Congressman Joe Courtney announced today that he has signed on as an original cosponsor of the Healthy Kids Act, a comprehensive measure to be introduced by House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel to improve children's access to quality health care through the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

"I am proud to be an original sponsor of the Healthy Kids Act because Connecticut's and America's children must come first," stated Courtney. "Connecticut's children deserve a healthy start to their lives and I am prepared to work tirelessly to make sure that they have access to quality health care. I applaud Chairman Emanuel for his leadership on this issue and look forward to working with him to champion this critical issue."

"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."

"It is a simple idea -- we invest in children's health care, and we get healthy children eager to learn and grow," said Sharon Langer, Senior Policy Fellow at Connecticut Voices for Children. "If we deny health care coverage, we get unhealthy children falling behind in school and unable to become productive members of our community."

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.

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 $13-15 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.

This morning Congressman Courtney joined state leaders for a press conference in Hartford to rally support for Connecticut's HUSKY program and SCHIP.

Overwhelmingly respondents of the poll support increased advocacy and investment in the HUSKY program.

Joining the congressman today was State House Speaker James Amann, Senate President Pro Tempore Donald Williams, Sharon Langer, Senior Policy Fellow, CT Voices for Children, and Paul Dworkin, MD, Physician in Chief, CT Children's Medical Center and Chair of Pediatrics, UCONN Medical School. Ms. Mary Glassman, Director of Legislative Affairs, CT Voices for Children, served as the Master of Ceremony.

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 received 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, UnitedHealth Group, Catholic Health Association and American Public Health Association are members of the Health Care Coalition for the Uninsured (HCCU). HCCU is a diverse group of national organizations with an interest in ensuring all Americans have access to quality health care.

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 [HR 878], 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=59696