| CHICAGO,
IL – U.S Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today warned that Illinois
could lose $200 million in federal funds for the uninsured.
According to a report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Illinois
could lose $200 million in federal matching funds if it does not act to
enroll more children in KidCare and approve legislation to expand coverage
to parents of uninsured children. Nearly 300,000 low-income children
are uninsured in Illinois.
“I
am ashamed and angry that the state of Illinois might return $200 million
to the federal government when so many children and their parents are in
need of healthcare. This $200 million would be on top of $24 million
returned by the state last year,” said Schakowsky, adding that for every
dollar that the state of Illinois spends to cover children, the federal
government provides two dollars.
At
a news conference today, Schakowsky, Representative Danny Davis (D-IL)
community and religious leaders from United Power for Action and Justice
called on Governor Ryan and the Illinois Senate to support state legislation
that would expand KidCare, a program to insure children, to cover their
parents. FamilyCare, a bill passed by the Illinois State House, would expand
the State’s popular KidCare program to medically insure 200,000 working
mothers and fathers.
In
1997, Congress passed the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)
to help states fund healthcare services for children in families whose
income was too high to make them eligible for Medicaid, but too low to
make health insurance affordable. |
