Wilson and LaHood Urge GOP Support for Child Health Bill
Reps. Say Bill is Big Win for Kids, Seniors
Washington, D.C. –
Representatives Heather Wilson (NM-01) and Ray LaHood (IL-18) today
urged their Republican colleagues to vote for the children’s health
insurance compromise. Wilson and LaHood co-authored a letter to the
GOP caucus urging support for the deal negotiators hammered out on
Friday.
“We urge your support for the SCHIP
agreement,” Wilson and LaHood told their colleagues today.
“Investments in children’s health pay off many times over during a
child’s lifetime. Children’s health care should be a bipartisan issue,
and this agreement reflects a bipartisan compromise to improve the
health of America’s children.”
The entire text of the letter is below:
September 24, 2007
Support the SCHIP Agreement
Dear Colleague:
According to Census Bureau data,
about 9 million children lack health insurance. This SCHIP agreement
would cover 3 to 4 million of them by investing $35 billion in
additional funding in children’s health insurance over five years. We
urge your support for this SCHIP agreement and believe it is the best
vehicle for reauthorizing the program before it expires.
A bipartisan group of Senate and
House Members have crafted this agreement. While not perfect, this
agreement retains the core principles of SCHIP when it was enacted and
provides states with new tools to enroll more eligible low-income
children. Federal assistance is reduced if states expand coverage to
middle-income children.
One-third of the uninsured children
in the U.S. went without medical care for an entire year, according to
a report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, while only 12 percent
of insured children received no care during the same period. Uninsured
children were 10 times more likely not to receive the medical care they
needed, compared to children who have insurance
The agreement provides health
insurance for 3 to 4 million low-income uninsured children without
making reductions in Medicare Advantage. It focuses on enrolling the
lowest income eligible children first. Furthermore, the agreement
returns the program to its original focus on low-income children,
phasing out coverage of adults. It also includes an enhanced premium
assistance provision to help families buy into employer coverage for
children if available to them.
We urge your support for the SCHIP
agreement. Investments in children’s health pay off many times over
during a child’s lifetime. Children’s health care should be a
bipartisan issue, and this agreement reflects a bipartisan compromise
to improve the health of America’s children.
Sincerely,
_________________ __________________
Heather Wilson Ray LaHood
Member of Congress Member of Congress |