We are all so grateful for the much needed rain we had last week.
Hopefully, we can have more in the coming days to help alleviate this terrible drought. In the meantime, we must continue to conserve water every way possible.
I am so pleased that Senator Marc Basnight, President Pro Tempore of the North Carolina Senate, will be visiting District 7 on Wednesday, November 7, 2007. As part of a “listening tour,” Senator Basnight will hear about the issues first hand from community leaders and citizens. As leader of the State Senate, it is important that Senator Basnight learn of the issues affecting us locally. I would like to have you meet him and share your concerns. Representative Michael Wray has helped to organize this visit. Our itinerary is as follows:
8:00 — 9:00 a.m. — Breakfast meeting sponsored by the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce at the Community Center on Main Street in Youngsville, with a discussion of the topic, “Legislative Actions That Can Help Small Business Grow in Franklin County.” (Representative Lucy Allen plans to join the group at this meeting.)
9:00 — 10:00 a.m. — Visits to Luddy Park, to a local industry, and to Hill Ridge Farms on Tarboro Road.
10:15 a.m. — Mayor Jenny Edwards will greet the group at Town Hall in Franklinton and lead a walking tour to see some renovations in the downtown area by Penny and Philip Young and Mark Thompson.
12:00 — 1:15 p.m. — Lunch and tour of J. F. Webb High School of Health Sciences on Webb School Road in Oxford. This special school receives funds from the Gates Foundation. Representative Jim Crawford has been invited to join the group at the school.
2:00 — 3:00 p.m. — In Warrenton, we will stop at the Warren County Lions’ Club Fish Fry at the fire station on Ridgeway Street, where Mayor Walter Gardner will join us. We will visit the Coordination Council for Senior Citizens of Warren County facility on West Franklin Street with Ms. Portia Hawes and Mr. Charles Jefferson. The final stop for the day will be at New Beginnings, a Smart Start child care facility, on West Ridgeway Street with Director Lori Crowley.
We hope to see you at one or more of our stops on Wednesday!
HEATHCARE COVERAGE FOR CHILDREN OF WORKING FAMILIES AT RISK
One of the more contentious issues between the House and Senate during this past summer’s budgetary process was whether to expand healthcare coverage for children under a proposed new program by Governor Easley. The new program would have been funded with two federal dollars to every dollar invested by the State.
The Senate countered Governor Easley’s proposal with a proposal to expand health insurance utilizing an existing program, CHIPS, in which each State dollar spent on health care is matched with three federal dollars.
The General Assembly eventually passed a state budget that included a) an additional $7.5 million to maintain full health insurance coverage for families earning $40,000 or less per year who have applied for such coverage, and b) an additional $7 million to match federal dollars to expand the program to provide assistance to families earning up to $60,000 annually. This expansion to those families with incomes of $60,000 requires families to pay a premium, but at affordable levels.
Expanding the program to those families that earn up to $60,000 with a subsidized premium, recognizes that the high cost of healthcare insurance makes it unaffordable for many families, thereby affecting thousands of North Carolina children. Most critically, some 10,000 additional children will likely qualify for new, affordable coverage. The need for expanded coverage is documented by a joint report by the non-profit N. C. Institute of Medicine and Action for Children North Carolina:
“The report said that one in five children lives in poverty, and over 13% do not have insurance. The loss of employer-based insurance for dependents is a major issue, according to the report, which calls for expansion of affordable health coverage. This statewide concern falls against a backdrop of the national legislative battle over publicly funded insurance for children.
“While infant death and child death rates are at their lowest ever levels, child abuse homicides have increased. The data also suggest lack of dental care plagues one in five children through fifth grade and below, and obesity and asthma rates are increasing.”
The General Assembly made these allocations, planning on the continued funding match provided by the United States Congress.
Congress is now embroiled in a conflict with the President that, if not resolved, could result in the state having to end healthcare coverage for children of working families. The President promises to veto an expansion of the program for a second time, even though there is bi-partisan support for the legislation. If the President signs the legislation into law, North Carolina would likely be able to double the number of kids covered, adding between 123,000 and 150,000 children to the program. These will largely be low-income children who are already eligible for Medicaid or Health Choice, but who simply have not enrolled in the programs. If the President vetoes the legislation, the program itself is set to expire this year.
I thank you for allowing me to serve you in the North Carolina Senate. Please contact my office if I may be of service to you in any way.
Sincerely,
Doug Berger