Legislation is Expected to Provide Health Coverage for 918,853 Children in New York.

Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) joined President Obama at the White House to sign H.R. 2, the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, into law. The House approved the legislation earlier today by a vote of 290-135. This landmark, bipartisan legislation reauthorizes the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Today’s bill protects coverage for 651,853 low-income children in New York already covered by SCHIP, and expands it to include an additional 267,000 children who would otherwise be uninsured.

“What a difference a President makes,” said Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel (D-NY). “President Obama and Congress are demonstrating that change has come to Washington, and we are moving forward to improve the quality of life for American families struggling during these hard times. I cannot think of a better investment than the health of our children. Extending the Children’s Health Insurance Program is not only good policy; it is the right thing to do.”

Enacted in 1997, SCHIP provides health insurance to children whose families have incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to afford private coverage. The new law strengthens SCHIP financing, increasing health insurance coverage for low-income children and improving the quality of health care that children receive by providing a four-and-a-half year reauthorization.

The renewal, which is paid for through an increase in the Federal tobacco tax, is expected to benefit as many as 11 million children nationwide. Specifically, the legislation preserves the coverage for seven million children currently covered by SCHIP, including preserving the coverage of 651,853 children in New York. It also provides coverage for four million uninsured children who are currently eligible for, but not enrolled in SCHIP and Medicaid nationally, including 267,000 children in New York. That could mean as much as a 66 percent reduction in uninsured children in the State of New York.

The program provides sufficient Federal funds to improve outreach efforts on the state and local levels so that more low-income families can get enrolled. It also provides states the option of extending coverage through SCHIP and Medicaid to immigrant children and pregnant women who have been in the country legally for less than five years.

“This legislation is more critical than ever,” said Rangel. “More and more American parents are losing employer-sponsored health care for their children. President Obama and Congress are demonstrating that change has come to Washington, and we are moving forward to improve the quality of life for American families struggling during these hard times," said Rangel.

Click here for a revenue estimate of tax provisions included in the bill.

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