House approves SCHIP renewal, expansion

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives last week approved a bill that will renew the State Children’s Health Insurance Program – an important source of funding for Rhode Island’s RIte Care program – and expand it to cover about 4 million more children.
The measure, which is similar to one vetoed by President Bush in 2007 and still needs to be approved by the Senate, would provide funding to cover children in families with incomes of up to three times the federal poverty level, or about 11 million total nationwide.
The bill extends the program – now set to expire in April – through fiscal 2013, at a cost of $32.3 billion above the program’s current $25 billion cost, with almost all the new spending funded by a 61-cent-per-pack increase in the federal cigarette tax.
U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, D-R.I., called the vote “an important and essential victory as we move towards ensuring all Americans have health care coverage.”
SCHIP funds allow states to cover children and parents whose income is too high to qualify for Medicaid. More than 12,000 Rhode Island children have health coverage because of SCHIP, as well as more than 11,000 parents, according to Kennedy. But as of 2006, nearly 17,000 Rhode Island children were uninsured, as were more than 9 million children nationwide.
“Families are dealing with a harsh economic climate right now,” Kennedy said. “Layoffs, benefit cuts, and fewer jobs out there mean tough choices for many, and private insurance is simply a luxury they cannot afford. SCHIP ensures that our nation’s children, who would otherwise be uninsured, are able to receive quality health care.”
President-elect Barack Obama said that the bill is “good economic policy” and asked the Senate to act quickly to pass it, so it can be one of the first measures he signs into law.

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