Washington, D.C. —- Thirty four legislators have joined Congressman G. K. Butterfield in a plea for funding needed to continue a highly successful federal-state children’s health insurance program.
“Healthcare coverage for many children across our country is in serious jeopardy,” Butterfield said. “Congress must reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) immediately with enough funding to cover predicted shortfalls.”
On December 14, 2007, a second short-term extension of SCHIP is set to expire and another long-term bill has yet to make its way through Congress after two vetoes by President Bush that were narrowly sustained.
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) recently estimated that if current FY 2008 allotments were extended for the entire year, 21 states, including North Carolina, would face shortfalls totaling $1.6 billion. Under that scenario, CRS also estimates that nine states would completely exhaust funding as early as March of 2008.
With this week’s deadline looming, Butterfield wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer to urge a quick resolution of the problem. Butterfield was joined on the letter by 34 House members from the 21 states facing shortfalls.
States need to be able to plan ahead and rely on definite federal funding in order to manage their programs.
The program protects children from families who earn too much to be covered by Medicaid, but earn too little to afford private health insurance. Known in North Carolina as Health Choice for Children, the SCHIP requires premium payments and co-pays based on ability to pay and it protects 6.6 million children, including almost 200,000 in North Carolina.
“Providing all children access to affordable, quality health care is not a political issue but moral imperative,” Butterfield said. “This is something Congress must get done.”