Published: 09-20-07
WASHINGTON- U.S. Rep. Joe Barton R-Ennis introduced legislation yesterday evening to ensure that the children covered by the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) continue to receive the care they need after the program’s set expiration date of September 30.“SCHIP is the State Children’s Health Insurance Program which was established 10 years ago to provide health coverage for low-income and near-low-income children here in the United States” Barton said during a press conference unveiling his bill.
“It was intended and in most states is a program to help children whose families are between 100 and 200 percent of the federal poverty level but do not have health insurance where the parents work or provide health coverage for those children.”
While the House and the Senate have both passed legislation to reauthorize SCHIP these bills are deeply flawed. Under the House-passed legislation families making over $200000 per year could become eligible for this program which was designed to serve low-income families. The House bill would also make it easier for illegal immigrants to receive billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded benefits. Barton voted against this legislation which the president has indicated he would veto.
Barton’s bill which was introduced with 112 co-sponsors would extend SCHIP in its current form past the September 30 deadline giving members of the House and Senate time to craft legislation that is worthy of becoming law. Without this extension at least 13 states will be left without any federal funding for their SCHIP programs in less than two weeks.
“My bill takes the existing program extends it for 18 months and covers children between 100 and 200 percent of poverty” Barton explained. “No state will lose coverage; no child will lose coverage who currently has coverage.”
“The children of America deserve to be healthy and have health care regardless of their income.”
