SCHIP Reauthorization Compromise Passes House and Senate!

Legislation to be forwarded to President—Please Call Bush

Tell Bush NOT TO VETO SCHIP!

As you are likely aware from previous e-mails sent by ADHA, funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is set to expire shortly.  SCHIP provides insurance coverage for millions of children who do not qualify for Medicaid but are unable to obtain private insurance.

The House and Senate have been working for months, developing separate pieces of SCHIP reauthorization legislation, with each chamber passing its own version of an SCHIP reauthorization in August.  Over the past month, leadership from the House and Senate have been working to craft a bipartisan compromise incorporating provisions from each reauthorization.  In a great show of bipartisan support, the House passed the SCHIP compromise on September 25 with the Senate passing the measure on September 27.  Both chambers passed the legislation by a significant majority.

Thank you to all ADHA members who have taken the time to write and call legislators on this important issue.  Your efforts have truly made a difference!

Included in the SCHIP reauthorization are the following key provisions:

-          $35 billion in new funding over the next five years paid for through a 61-cent increase in the federal tobacco tax.

-          A requirement for each state to provide dental services necessary to prevent disease, promote oral helath, and restore oral structures to health.

-          A GAO study into the feasibility and appropriateness of using qualified mid-level providers, in coordination with dentists, to increase access to oral health care service.

-          Develop online and telephone resources to make oral health provider information more readily available.

Approximately 4 million children who were previously uninsured would be covered under the SCHIP reauthorization.  Lawmakers from both parties have lauded the passage of the SCHIP reauthorization as a great stride in delivering health care to children in need.

In spite of bipartisan support for SCHIP, President Bush has vowed to veto SCHIP because it funds the program at more than the $5 billion recommended by the administration.

Please take a moment to send the attached letter or call President Bush and tell him not to veto legislation that will make health care accessible for millions of American children and is supported by members of both political parties.  Recent polling also indicates that a majority of Americans support the SCHIP reauthorization and do not want President Bush to veto the measure.

You can e-mail the White House using this link: comments@whitehouse.gov .

Calls can be placed to the White House using this phone number: 202-456-1111.

Thank you for taking the time to deliver this important message in support of SCHIP.

If you have any questions about ADHA's efforts to advocate for SCHIP, please feel free to call the Governmental Affairs Division at 312-440-8925.