Children's Health Bill Vital

Press Release

CHILDREN'S HEALTH BILL VITAL

U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), Vice Chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, spoke on the House floor today in support of H.R. 2, the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA), which would provide new health care coverage for 4.1 million low-income children, covering a total of over 11 million children nationwide. Nearly 85,000 children in Colorado are currently enrolled in the children's health program, and under this measure, additional kids who are eligible will have access to the program. The measure passed with strong bipartisan support on a vote of 289 to 139, and now moves to the Senate for its consideration. The children's health care program is expected to be one of President-elect Obama's first pieces of legislation signed into law.

Below are her remarks on the House floor as prepared for delivery:

"Six million children in this country who are eligible for SCHIP and Medicaid do not have health insurance. These children's parents work but they cannot afford to ensure that their children have well child care and have to resort to the emergency room for the most basic services like treatment like an ear infection - this is wrong.

"Today's bill will help these families, but with a number of changes that will vastly improve the legislation. It allows states to give coverage to pregnant women and people who are here legally and preserves simplified outreach and enrollment procedures. Madam Speaker, in the face of the current economic downturn, it is even more vital that we enact this bill. Sharp increases in unemployment are adding to the ranks of the uninsured, while at the same time, state budgets are shrinking and the safety-net is struggling to meet this increased demand.

"We need to provide this care for our kids because in the most civilized country in the world, no child should go without health care."

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