BAUCUS CHIDES BUSH OFFICIAL OVER CHIP FUNDING

Senator Says Bush Budget Would Nix Health Care Coverage For 1M Kids

February 7, 2007

(Washington D.C.) - Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus today said that more than a million children would lose heath care coverage if Congress accepts the Bush Administration's fiscal year 2008 budget request.

During a Finance Committee hearing today, Baucus took to task U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt for not backing a funding increase for CHIP - the Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides health insurance coverage to more than 13,000 Montana kids.

Earlier this week, President Bush announced his fiscal year 2008 budget request, which Congress uses in deciding a funding blue-print for federal spending for the coming year. After reviewing the proposal, Baucus said the funding level requested by the White House for CHIP is a third of what is needed for the program.

Baucus helped write and pass CHIP in 1997. Without congressional action, CHIP will expire on September 30. As chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over CHIP, Baucus has made renewing and expanding the program his number 1 health care priority for the panel this year.

"The budget's proposals threaten the remarkable success of the CHIP program," said Chairman Baucus at today's hearing. "If Congress were to enact [the Bush Administration's] proposals, more than one million children and 600,000 of their parents, caretakers, and other low-income adults could lose health coverage. This is unacceptable. CHIP is too valuable to thousands of Montanans and Americans across the country. I'm working to give CHIP a shot in the arm not cut it off at the knees."

A fierce supporter and proponent of CHIP, Baucus noted that in Montana, more than 13,100 children are currently insured under CHIP. Nationwide, CHIP covers more that 6.2 million children. Baucus said that 37,000 children — one in every six Montana children — are still uninsured. Across the nation that number jumps to nearly nine million, he said.

Baucus has also called on Montana's legislative leaders to expand CHIP eligibility in the state, saying he'll work on the federal level to craft a program that boosts enrollment in the state.

"I share the President's concern to balance the budget but it should not be at the expense of providing our children with quality health care," Baucus said. "Renewing and expanding CHIP is my top health care priority this year and I'm going to fight tooth and nail to get it done."

###