SEATTLE, WA – Sunday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) continued her call for President Bush to sign the reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). At Swedish Medical Center, she joined hospital CEO Dr. Rod Hochman; nurse Joanne Metroplos; Jon Gould of Children's Alliance; Hugh Ewart of Community Health Centers and president of the Children's Health Coalition; along with the Delgado family from Kent, who rely on the program for their three young kids. 

 

Congress passed the bill to renew the improved children's health plan earlier this week, however the president has threatened to veto the plan, despite the support of a bipartisan majority of Congress, 43 governors and the vast majority of the American people.

“A veto would deny health care for millions of children,” said Cantwell.  “Families know how difficult it is to make ends meet as health care premiums are rising faster than their wages. This legislation makes great strides towards covering the nation's uninsured children. But if President Bush has his way, we'll be taking a step backwards. This bill will provide nearly 10 million kids in working families the health care they need when they're sick and the regular check-ups they need to stay well. Congress has done its job, now its time for the president to do his.”

 

CHIP combines public and private health coverage to get medical care to low-income kids. In Washington, a family of four living at up to 250 percent of the Federal Poverty Level or making $51,000 are covered under CHIP. It has been an overwhelming success and today over six million kids nationwide receive coverage through the program. The bill provides funding to states for outreach and enrollment to children in need and will cover an additional 4 million kids nationwide. The president, by contrast, is refusing to provide sufficient dollars to cover even the kids in the program now. 

 

Cantwell worked to get a fair, bipartisan bill out of the Finance Committee. The bill includes a fix for Washington that will allow the state to access its full federal CHIP allotment for the first time, covering thousands more children.

 

 

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