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Washington, D.C. --- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, gave the following statement this morning at a full committee markup of the Children's Health and Medicare Protection (CHAMP) Act.
"Thank you Mr. Chairman. Oftentimes people have said that a civil and compassionate society is discernible by its willingness to care for those who are least able to care for themselves.
"This important concept provides the foundation for the legislation our Committee is marking up today, H.R. 3162, the Children’s Health and Medicare Protection (CHAMP) Act, which I am proud to be a co-sponsor. The proposal before us will help address the critical health care needs of those most vulnerable among us, our children and elderly.
"Mr. Chairman, since January I have said it is my number one priority to ensure that the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is reauthorized this year. Over the past ten years, CHIP has received strong bipartisan support because it serves as a lifeline to millions of low-income children across the country. Studies show that if we ensure children receive preventative health care in their formative years, they will lead healthier and more productive lives.
"Today, however, we are at a crossroads on children's health. Last year, for the first time in a decade, the number of uninsured children actually increased. As employers continue to shift costs or drop coverage for workers and their families altogether, the demands on CHIP and Medicaid have increased.
"CHIP programs across the country are falling behind. This year, some programs ran out of money as early as March. Congress had to provide additional funds to keep the program running through the end of the fiscal year. This is why legislation strengthening CHIP is needed now more than ever.
"So, I am particularly proud that this bill will not only extend this program, but renews it in a way that provides States with the additional financial resources and tools they need to improve their programs and ensure more low-income children are enrolled. Under our bill the number of children enrolled will increase by near 100 percent to more than 11 million kids, many of which are already eligible but have failed to enroll for various reasons.
"I have to admit that I am disappointed at how the debate on CHIP’s reauthorization has recently played out. Rather than working with us, President Bush has chosen to draw a line in the sand and distort the facts about our efforts. What should have been an opportunity for the President and the Congress to work together on a program that enjoys widespread support has quickly deteriorated into an ideological battle.
"The CHAMP Act can hardly be categorized as an attempt by Democrats to put the country on the path towards socialized medicine or government run health care. The program started out as a block grant, not an entitlement and it remains a block grant under our proposal. The program would still apply to low income families who cannot get health insurance from their employer or afford to purchase it on the individual market, which can cost well over $10,000 annually for a family of four.
"The President recently stated that everyone in America, including kids, has access to health care, they can simply go to the emergency room. That makes no sense. We saw what happens when kids are forced to wait to receive treatment in the emergency room in the case of Deamonte Driver … the young boy from Maryland who lost his life because he could not get the most basic of dental services.
"Kids should be able to go to the doctor on a regular basis and receive the preventative care that costs a lot less money. On average, CHIP costs only $3.50 per kid/per day. By enrolling more kids in CHIP, we will save the government more money in the long term. This is a practical program, not an ideological one.
"In addition to the provisions on CHIP, this legislation makes great strides in strengthening the Medicare program for our elderly and disabled. It would make long overdue and necessary reforms to existing payment policies that are terribly misguided and threaten the solvency of the Medicare program. In addition, this proposal contains some commonsense improvements to help beneficiaries access the care and treatment they need, as well as takes care of our nation’s doctors by providing them with a positive update and laying the groundwork for a permanent, reliable and rational reimbursement system under Medicare.
"Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank you for your leadership on these issues. It has been a pleasure working with you over the past few months to develop this proposal. I have no doubt that if it were not for your steadfast commitment to see this bill through from start to end the health and welfare of the millions of people who rely upon these programs would be in great jeopardy.
"I will close the same way that I began. There is a popular quote from Hubert Humphrey that goes, 'the moral test of a government is how it treats those who are at the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the aged; and those who are in the shadow of life, the sick, the needy, and the handicapped.' The moral test is upon us and we must not fail. I urge my colleagues to support the CHAMP Act and the millions of Americans who are counting on us to pass it.
"Thank you. I yield back that balance of my time."
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