(Washington D.C.)- U.S. Rep. Sander Levin (D-Royal Oak) made the following floor statement in support of the State Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2007:

I rise in strong support of the State Children’s Health Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2007.  This legislation renews and strengthens a program that provides health insurance to children whose families cannot afford it on the private market. 

The legislation we are voting on today will extend children’s health insurance to enroll almost 4 million kids that are currently eligible for the program and not yet enrolled.  That’s in addition to the 6 million low-income children already receiving health care under the SCHIP program nationwide, including 55,000 kids in my home state of Michigan. 

I regret that many of the provisions the House included this summer did not make it into the compromise bill.  I’m hopeful that we will work with the Senate to approve legislation before the year’s end in order to ensure Medicare beneficiary access to physicians and stop the further erosion of Medicare solvency. Nonetheless, I support this legislation and urge my colleagues to vote in support of the compromise bill.

Providing health care for children should not be a partisan issue.  The legislation has the support of a large majority of state governors, Republicans and Democrats alike.  The bill has broad bipartisan support in the Senate; unfortunately, most of the Republican minority in the House has failed to join us in crafting this compromise and the President has threatened to veto this important legislation.  So it comes down to this:  Clearly, a majority of the House will vote for the SCHIP bill today; the only real question is whether the House will pass this bill with enough votes to discourage a Presidential veto.  Do we stand with the President or with kids who need health care coverage?

Instead of working with Congress to expand health care coverage for children, the President’s proposal would actually cause 840,000 kids that are currently covered under SCHIP to lose their benefits, not to mention leave hanging the 4 million children that Congress’ bill would bring into the program.

The American People want the children of America covered by health insurance. A bi-partisan majority of House and Senate Members are committed to carrying this out.  The question remains as to whether or not the Bush Administration will get on board.    

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