Washington, D.C. – This afternoon, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) joined a sizable majority of her House colleagues in passing, for a third time, an expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). President Bush twice vetoed a similar measure in the last Congress, but President-elect Obama is expected to sign the new bill once he takes office.
The Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, which
passed the House today by a vote of 289 to 139, preserves health
insurance for all 7.1 million children currently covered by SCHIP,
including 651,853 kids in New York, and extends coverage to 4.1 million
additional low-income children who are currently uninsured.
“It appears the third time will be the charm for millions of uninsured
American kids,” Maloney said. “No child in America should have to go
without proper health care. I’m proud that a bipartisan majority in
this Congress stood up to right one of the enduring wrongs of the
current administration, and that we will soon have as president a true
champion of American children, Barack Obama.”
The Joint Economic Committee (JEC) released a report in January 2008
showing that in each year of an economic downturn, as many as 67,500
additional New York children will need access to the State Children's
Health Insurance Program and Medicaid. Click here for a full copy of
the JEC report.
"In the current economic downturn, more and more parents are having
trouble finding affordable health insurance for their children. An
expanded SCHIP program will give millions of working parents one less
thing to worry about during these trying times,” said Congresswoman
Maloney.
The bill passed today is fully paid for by raising the federal tobacco
tax by 61 cents per pack of cigarettes. Raising the tobacco tax also
promotes children’s health by discouraging children from smoking.
According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a 61-cent increase in
the tobacco tax means that 1,873,000 fewer children will take up
smoking.
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