Washington, D.C. -— U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-Lillington) today voted to pass legislation to provide health care for an additional 136,000 children in North Carolina. The House approved H.R. 2, the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, by a vote of 290 to 135.
President Barack Obama signed the bill into law today.
“With one out of eight children in North Carolina lacking health insurance, and with the economy making it even more difficult for families to purchase health care, this legislation is more important now than ever,” said Etheridge. “Preventative care and timely treatment of diseases ensure that children are healthy and productive, and able to make the most of their God-given abilities.”
The Children’s Health Insurance Program provides health care coverage for children in families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private insurance. The bill will ensure there is enough funding to continue to provide care for the more than 240,000 N.C. children who receive their health coverage through N.C. Health Choice for Children, and will provide health care for an additional 136,000 children.
North Carolina has 296,000 uninsured children, the sixth-largest number in the country. Two-thirds of uninsured children in the state live in a home where at least one parent works full time. The additional funding in the bill will reduce the number of uninsured children in North Carolina by 46 percent.
As Etheridge voted for the bill, he expressed concerns that the legislation would be funded by a 62-cent-per-pack tobacco-tax increase.
“It is unfair for North Carolina’s farm families to pay for the entire cost of this bill. I will work to ensure that future legislation does not burden one group with funding initiatives that benefit the entire country,” said Etheridge.
Congress passed almost identical legislation in 2007 but President Bush vetoed the bill.