REP. ANDREWS VOTES TO SUPPORT CHILDREN’S HEALTH CARE, ATTEMPT TO OVERRIDE PRESIDENT’S VETO 

In A Slowing Economy, Children’s Health Coverage
 Is More Critical Than Ever

This week I voted to support the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and override the President’s veto of bipartisan legislation to provide health care to 10 million children.   Unfortunately, various Republicans sided the President to sustain the veto, and to keep from extending coverage to 3.8 million children already eligible for health care. 

Today, House Republicans stood between 3.8 million additional children who would be covered by SCHIP under this bill and the health care they need.  The President’s veto on December 12th denied health care to children of hardworking families across America just as the country began experiencing an economic downturn, with families increasingly struggling with the costs of heat, food, gas and health care.

When unemployment increases, so do the number of Americans without health insurance.  In this weak economy, more and more American parents are having difficulty finding health insurance for their children.  As a result, the SCHIP program is more critical than ever.

The legislation that was vetoed provided a $35 billion expansion of the SCHIP program and would have provided health care coverage to 10 million children. The legislation was backed by Republicans and Democrats in both houses of Congress and enjoyed support from Governors of both parties. Additionally, a series of new polls indicated overwhelming public support for SCHIP, with as much as 81 percent of the country backing the bipartisan Congressional plan.

I vow to continue to fight in Washington to enact legislation to provide health care for 10 million children this year.   The existing SCHIP program was extended in December until March 2009—but, without this legislation, 3.8 million additional low-income children who are eligible but not enrolled will now not be covered under the program. 

I will continue to work with my colleagues on strengthening SCHIP, because we cannot rest until this Congress succeeds in enacting a plan that will ensure that 10 million children have health care coverage. 

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