On Wednesday President Barack Obama signed into law the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) bill. President George W. Bush had previously vetoed more than one attempt to expand the program. expanding coverage to 4.1 million more kids and extending the program through 2013.The House voted 290-135 earlier today to pass the bill and send it to the president.
This was the second time the chamber passed an SCHIP bill this month. But the Senate passed a slightly different version last week, and House leaders decided to ratify the Senate bill rather than delay the legislation further by sending it to a conference committee.
Notably absent from the final bill is a provision that would have blocked Medicare and Medicaid funds to new or expanded physician-owned hospitals.
That language was in the initial House version, but the Senate omitted the restriction in its bill.
Additionally, the legislation makes children of legal immigrants eligible for SCHIP as soon as their parents arrive in the U.S., instead of having to wait five years as was previously required.
Republican lawmakers tried but failed to maintain the five-year exclusion.
The expanded SCHIP will now cover an estimated total of 11 million children in working-poor families who don't quality for Medicaid.
The extra cost is to be covered by a 68-cent-per-pack increase in the cigarette tax.
House majority leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) lauded the bill's passage.
"We can't patch every hole today; but if I could pick just one leak to stop, it would be in the hold where we keep our sick children," Hoyer said. "If you asked me for the most efficient use of a single healthcare dollar, I would put it toward covering more children."
Many organizations applauded the signing of the bill, including UnitedHealth Group, which released the following statement:
"UnitedHealth Group applauds President Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress for the enactment of legislation to reauthorize and expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). With the signing of this bill, more than 4 million additional children in America will gain health insurance coverage over the next several years. Providing coverage to millions more low-income children through Medicaid and SCHIP is an important first step in our broader efforts to provide every American with access to quality and affordable health care.
A strong health care safety net has never been more important as so many Americans lose their jobs and health insurance due to the unprecedented financial crisis. A strengthened SCHIP program and additional funds for states to enroll more children in Medicaid -- coupled with passage of the economic recovery legislation now pending before Congress -- will go a long way towards bolstering the safety net during this difficult period. Additionally, these two pieces of legislation will provide a solid foundation from which to build as we pursue more comprehensive health reform in the future.”
Barack Obama issued the following remarks after signing the SCHIP bill into law. Note this transcript includes notations of applause and laughter.
Today, with one of the first bills that I sign, reauthorizing the Children's Health Insurance Program, we fulfill one of the highest responsibilities that we have: to ensure the health and well-being of our nation's children.
It's a responsibility that's only grown more urgent as our economic crisis deepens, as health care costs have exploded and millions of families are unable to afford health insurance.
Today in America, 8 million children are still uninsured, more than 45 million Americans all together. And it's hard to overstate the toll this takes on families, the sleepless nights worrying about somebody getting hurt or praying that a sick child gets better on her own, the decisions that no parent should ever have to make, how long to put off that doctor's appointment, whether to fill that prescription, whether to let a child play outside knowing that all it takes is one accident, one injury to send your family into financial ruin.
The families joining us today know these realities firsthand. When Gregory Secrest from Martinsville, Virginia, lost his job back in August, his kids lost their health care. When he broke the news to his family, his 9-year-old son -- where are you?
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is expected to be in Washington, D.C. today to attend President Obama's signing ceremony for the SCHIP legislation.
The bill will help provide health care coverage for 275,000 New York children. The program is known as Child Health Plus in New York, and the legislation should bring an extra $90 million into the state to cover the cost of the program, helping address the state's budget deficit.
It also provides basic health care coverage to more than 11 million children in families who make too much money to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford health insurance.
The SCHIP program currently covers about 7 million children across the country; the new bill is expected to bring an additional 4 million kids into the program, including the 275,000 in New York.
Gillibrand is the only member of Congress to have voted to pass SCHIP in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S .Senate this year.
1 comment:
Finally, after two vetoes by Bush, the SCHIP bill is signed! Hurray for Obama.
Imee
http://cashgrants.org
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