Walberg Calls for Children's Health Insurance Program to be Funded in Fiscally Responsible Way
Press Release
WALBERG CALLS FOR CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM TO BE FUNDED IN FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE WAY
Washington, Sep 25 - U.S. Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI) today issued the following statement calling for the renewal of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) before September 30, the expiration date of the program.
"I support renewing SCHIP to aid children in low-income families," Walberg said. "This program began in 1997 as a way to allow states to provide health insurance for children in low-income families. In a nation as wealthy as ours, there is no reason that children should ever go hungry or without essential medical care, and I believe our society will be judged by how we treat our poor, sick and elderly."
Congressman Walberg has co-sponsored a bill that would extend the SCHIP program by 18 months and increase the level of funding available to states in order to ensure that state SCHIP programs will be fully funded during this reauthorization period.
House Democrats will bring a separate, expanded version of the SCHIP legislation to the floor this evening.
"The Democratic bill takes a program designed to aid children of low income families and instead reduces access to quality health care for most Americans," Walberg said.
The Democratic legislation would:
- Change current law to make it easier for illegal immigrants to receive SCHIP funds, as well as other taxpayer-funded federal benefits
- Include a 61-cent-a-pack increase in federal cigarette taxes and up to a three dollar tax on cigars
Cost more than $4,000 per year for every newly insured child who is added to government's patient list, compared to $2,300 per year to add a child to a private insurance plan in a typical family of four
- Cover children in some households with incomes of up to $83,000 a year
- Fund SCHIP for adults through 2012
- Contain no income or asset ceiling for receiving SCHIP funds
- Reject requirements that force states to focus their efforts on children in families with incomes of up to 200 percent of the federal poverty line
- Require 22 million new smokers to buy cigarettes over the next 10 years in order to fully fund the program
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