Legislation backed by numerous business, medical and community organizations
WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords joined a bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives today in support of fiscally responsible legislation that would provide needed health care to 170,000 Arizona children.
The State Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act passed this afternoon in a 289 to 139 vote. If approved by the Senate, it is expected to be one of the first bills signed into law by President Barack Obama.
"At the end of 2008, more than one of out seven, or 16.1 percent of kids in Arizona were uninsured," Giffords said in remarks delivered on the floor of the House immediately before the vote. "That makes Arizona fourth nationally for the percentage of children in each state that goes without health insurance. I am deeply concerned about the worsening economic crisis and what growing unemployment means for health insurance."
Across Arizona, rising unemployment has led to a surge in applicants for publicly-funded health care. Arizona lost more than 83,000 jobs between November 2007 and November 2008, putting the state's jobless rate at 6.3 percent.
"In this economic climate," Giffords said, "We must not fail to recognize health care continues to be incredibly expensive, one of the most costly economic challenges confronting our families."
The State Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act will be paid for over the next four and a half years with a 61-cent per pack tax on cigarettes. Experts say that raising this tax will promote children's health by discouraging children from smoking.
"This legislation makes sense," Giffords said after the vote. "It is fiscally responsible because it is fully paid for and it is socially responsible because it will help make sure our children are better prepared for learning and success."
The State Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act will provide health insurance to 11 million children nationally, 4 million more than currently insured. Because many uninsured children receive medical care in expensive emergency rooms, extending insurance benefits will be less expensive in the long run for taxpayers.
In Arizona, the State Children's Health Insurance Program provided insurance in 2007 to more than 104,000 children through the KidsCare Program.
The bill passed by the House today is similar to legislation that President Bush vetoed twice in the 110th Congress. The organizations supporting it include the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the American Diabetes Association, the American Public Health Association, the American Hospital Association, Catholic Charities USA, Easter Seals, and March of Dimes.