Health Insurance For Kids: Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Rep. Kendrick Meek and Local Health Care Providers Discuss Need to Expand...
Press Release
Health Insurance For Kids: Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Rep. Kendrick Meek and Local Health Care Providers Discuss Need to Expand SCHIP
(Miami, FL) -- Today, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-20) and Rep. Kendrick Meek (FL-17) discussed the need to expand health insurance for children with regional health care providers and experts during a meeting at the Trice Economic Opportunity Health Center in Miami.
The meeting followed two votes in the House of Representatives within the past month to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to cover 10 million children nationwide. The President has opposed and vetoed the plan to expand coverage for an additional 3.5 million children passed by Congress. In Florida, this expansion of the program would mean that 230,000 children who currently don't have health insurance would receive health insurance through the state's KidCare program.
"More than 700,000 children in Florida don't have health insurance," said Rep. Wasserman Schultz. "It's not the child's fault that they don't have health insurance, the very least we can do is expand the program so that 230,000 more of Florida's children can go and see a doctor regularly."
Earlier this month Rep. Wasserman Schultz and Rep. Ron Klein (FL-22) met with local doctors, nurses, families and health care providers to discuss President Bush's veto of legislation that provided health insurance for 10 million children nationwide. The meeting and press conference were held October 12, 2007 at the Miami Beach Community Health Center in Miami Beach.
Rep. Wasserman Schultz will continue to fight for our children's futures by working to pass a children's health insurance bill that covers 10 million American children and provides health insurance for 230,000 of Florida's children who are currently uninsured.
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