Insurance program to expire Sept. 30
By American staff
As Congress approaches a vote on a critical bill to support a program that provides millions of children with access to health care, Citizens for Missouri’s Children is urging voters to encourage members of Congress to vote in support of reauthorizing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
SCHIP – known as MC Plus for Kids in Missouri – currently covers 107,000 low-income children in Missouri. U.S. Census Bureau figures released in August indicate that 127,000 Missouri children are uninsured.
“If Congress passes increased funding for SCHIP, thousands more Missouri children will receive health coverage,” said Kerri McBee, Missouri Budget Project outreach coordinator.
More than 6.6 million children were covered by SCHIP nationally during the past year. Roughly 9 million American children lack health coverage, according to the most recent Census figures. The number of uninsured children has risen for the last two years in part because of a growing shortage of federal SCHIP funds.
The House and Senate are expected to take action on SCHIP legislation this week. President Bush has indicated he will veto the legislation if passed; the SCHIP program is set to expire September 30.
“In light of the Administration’s frequent threats to veto SCHIP legislation, Congress needs to approve the agreement by large majorities,” said Amy Blouin, executive director of the Missouri Budget Project.
“That will send the White House a strong message that Congress is committed to improving children’s health coverage and that the president should not block this historic bipartisan agreement.”
In August, both the Senate and House passed their SCHIP bills before leaving Washington for the summer recess. Upon their return, Congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle spent many hours hammering out the differences between the two bills in order to reauthorize the program before Sept. 30.
On Friday, Sept. 21, a bipartisan, bicameral compromise was reached. It is anticipated that as early as Tuesday, Sept. 25 members of the House and Senate will vote on this new bipartisan compromise measure to ensure that no child is at risk for losing their health care coverage and that more children have access to vital health care services.
Citizens for Missouri’s Children is urging voters to call on their members of Congress by connecting through the Capitol Switchboard at (800) 828-0498.