Issue Position: Health and Medicare - The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)
Issue Position
I agree that it is necessary to protect the children of our nation, and I am supportive of providing health insurance for low-income children. The State Health Children's Insurance Program (SCHIP) or the Healthy Families program in California, provides federal funding for states to insure children from families that are low-income, but do not qualify for Medicaid.
Over the past decade, Congress has appropriated nearly $40 billion for the SCHIP program, and it currently provides viable health insurance for approximately 6.6 million children nationwide. There are nearly one million pregnant women and children covered by SCHIP in the State of California. I consider this a huge success in the continuing fight to cover uninsured Americans.
As you may know over the past year, the reauthorization of this program has been passionately debated in Congress. I believe it is essential for the new legislation to include protections for hard-working taxpayer's dollars while continuing to provide health insurance coverage for low-income children. It is essential that we refocus on enrolling those children who are currently eligible for SCHIP but not enrolled. The program must be redirected to focus on its original mission, provide health insurance for children of working families that cannot afford health care.
In order to protect and maintain coverage for those children currently enrolled in SCHIP, the House passed the SCHIP Extension Act (S. 2499) on December 19, 2007 with my support, by a vote of 411-3. That bill, which extends SCHIP funding through March 31, 2009, was signed into law by the President on December 29, 2007 (P.L.110-173).
Additionally, I am a co-sponsor of H.R. 3584, legislation that would re-authorize SCHIP and provide $2.6 billion to ensure the continued coverage of those children currently enrolled. This alternative will give Congress additional time to prepare a well-crafted and truly bipartisan reauthorization that will enable SCHIP to provide health insurance for children long into the future. I look forward to working together with my colleagues to reach a compromise which will assist those low-income children who need it the most.
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