Fortenberry Introduces Children Come First Act to Strengthen SCHIP

Washington, DC - Congressman Jeff Fortenberry today introduced the Children Come First Act of 2007, legislation that would appropriately expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to our most vulnerable children.

“I have long maintained that we need to expand SCHIP in a responsible manner that provides coverage to needy children without unnecessarily expanding the program to those who do not need it. This bill seeks to achieve that,” Fortenberry said.

The Children Come First Act contains two key proposals that apply to families making between 200% and 300% of the federal poverty level. First, it will permit a family who can demonstrate that it has been denied private coverage for its child to enroll the child in SCHIP. Second, if the insurance policy for a child is above an acceptable percentage of the parent(s)’ adjusted gross income, then the family would qualify for SCHIP assistance. The family would have the option of enrolling the child in SCHIP or applying for premium assistance to obtain private coverage.

“The Children Come First Act would renew and expand SCHIP while not displacing private coverage,” Fortenberry said.

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