I voted last week in strong support of the CHAMP Act (Children’s Health and Medicare Protection), which passed the House by a 225-204 margin. The Senate passed a very similar bill as well and it should go to the White House soon. Hopefully, the President will not veto it. The House bill would provide coverage for over four million uninsured children in low-income families, prevent cuts in doctors’ Medicare payments scheduled for Jan. 1, and raise the federal cigarette tax 45 cents a pack, to 84 cents.

In my home state of Florida, KidCare—Florida’s CHIP program—covered 303,595 children in 2006, but 718,603 children remain uninsured. The CHAMP Act could provide Florida with approximately $2.54 billion in new federal funding and an opportunity to get more children covered. States like Florida need to step up to the plate and fund their CHIP program to the fullest extent.

The CHAMP Act would provide continued health insurance to six million children already covered and add an additional five million children who currently lack health insurance nationwide. It is simply mind blowing that while the President continues to spend over $10 billion per month in Iraq, and we have now spent over $600 billion on the war from its outset, the administration resists paying less than $3.50 a day to cover a child through CHIP, and maintains a veto threat on this bill. In fact, over ¾ of Americans believe that access to health insurance is more important than cutting taxes.

Indeed, the number of uninsured children in the country is outright embarrassing. The Democrats are making the American public a priority again and I am hopeful that the administration will come to their senses and sign a fair SCHIP bill into law.