House Passes SCHIP Bill

Walk on from stage left.

A variety of press releases today on the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, which passed the House today.

Allyson Schwartz

“Today is a good day for American families.

“Today, we vote to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program for the nearly 7 million children it covers and to expand coverage to an additional 4 million uninsured children.

“My commitment to ensuring health coverage for every child in our great nation is just as strong today as it was in 1992 when I successfully worked for the early creation of CHIP in Pennsylvania.

“Yet, today, 9 million children are still uninsured – more than 138,000 in Pennsylvania alone. And the number grows daily.

“As the economy continues to suffer and unemployment grows, more and more American families are losing their insurance coverage. Parents without coverage worry that their children will get sick or need to visit the doctor; and they simply do not have the money to pay.

“As we work to reverse the economic downturn, we can and should ensure that our children’s health will be protected, now and in the future.

“Strengthening CHIP for 11 million children is the right thing to do – and in just six days, we will have a President who – unlike the outgoing President – will sign this bill and achieve this goal for America’s children.

“Change is here. Today is a good day.”

Patrick Murphy

“As our economy declines and joblessness goes up, programs like S-CHIP become more important and are used more and more. Families are hurting and this is one way to improve the health of children and our nation’s overall public health,” said Congressman Patrick Murphy. “This is a critical program that helps hard working families keep their children healthy. I was proud to vote to re-authorize children’s health insurance again and am glad that the incoming president will sign this bipartisan bill.”

“This program has wide bipartisan support from Democrats, Republicans and Independents across the country – including governors and members of Congress. I am proud to fight for the thousands of parents in our district who play by the rules and just want to keep their kids healthy,” Murphy added.

Paul Kanjorski:

“This is a very promising day for American children,” said Congressman Kanjorski. “We are in tough times as people throughout the country are struggling from financial hardships. But, during such times it is especially important to ensure the safety and well being of our children, including guaranteeing that they have health insurance. This bill will improve health care for 11 million American children, enabling the future of our country to receive needed care at lower costs.

“While President Bush refused to extend the children’s health insurance program twice in the last Congress, I have great faith that after the Senate hopefully passes the bill, that President-elect Obama will do the right thing and sign it into law.”