January 14, 2009
Washington, D.C.—Congressman Christopher P. Carney stood up for children’s health care today and voted in favor of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 289-139. It is now awaiting action in the U.S. Senate.
“More than anything, we need to take care of our children. As a father of five, I know how important healthcare is for our children to lead healthy, productive lives. If we want our children to learn, grow and become contributing citizens in our country, we must make sure we take care of their basic health care needs.
“My vote today was a vote for our future. I support the State Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization because of the 11 million children who will be impacted. 11 million children! This is the future of our country, and we owe it to them to make sure basic health care has the funding it needs.
“This is a bipartisan bill—Republicans and Democrats alike can agree that partisan differences must be set aside when it comes to protecting our children’s health. Today’s vote will actually improve the existing SCHIP program. The legislation preserves coverage for the 7 million children currently covered by SCHIP and extends coverage to 4 million uninsured children who are currently eligible for, but not enrolled in, SCHIP and Medicaid.
“Furthermore, health insurance and a focus on prevention are the fiscally responsible ways to approach health care. Uninsured parents are left with few choices when their children get sick, and turn to emergency rooms, where expensive care in our already overburdened hospitals costs more to the taxpayer. Worse yet, this detracts from our hospitals’ abilities to handle unforeseen emergencies, the precise situations in which they are trained and equipped to respond. We need a focus on prevention and we need to put our children first in the fight for health care.
“With rising unemployment, Children’s Health Care Reauthorization has become more critical than ever. More and more American parents are having difficulty finding affordable health insurance for their children and the need for this legislation is growing each day. This is about putting America’s children first—and in no way does this legislation provide benefits for illegal immigrants.
“This legislation puts our children first, is fiscally responsible and fully paid for, and is ready to be signed by the President-Elect when he takes office. We are no longer stopped by an unconscionable veto for children’s health care. I was proud to support children’s health care today, and urge my colleagues in the Senate to do the same.”
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