CHAMP Act and Democratic Efforts to Ensure More CHildren Have Access To Health Insurance

Floor Speech

CHAMP ACT AND DEMOCRATIC EFFORTS TO ENSURE MORE CHILDREN HAVE ACCESS TO HEALTH INSURANCE

(Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the House approved the CHAMP Act, a comprehensive health care bill that sustains and strengthens both the Children's Health Insurance Program and Medicare. In one bill, we are insuring quality health care coverage for America's seniors and children.

Under the CHAMP Act, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that 5 million children will gain health care coverage through the SCHIP program. Any time when the number of uninsured children is increasing, Congress should do everything in its power to provide health care services to more children.

The CHAMP Act strengthens the CHIP program so that we finally reach nearly every child who is eligible for health insurance. The CHAMP Act will also take care of seniors by protecting Medicare beneficiaries' access to their physicians, providing new preventive benefits, expanding programs, and assisting low-income seniors with out-of-pocket costs, and protecting rural communities' access to health care.

Mr. Speaker, by supporting the CHAMP Act, this House showed its commitment to assist this Nation's two most vulnerable groups, our children and our seniors.

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