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January 14, 2009: Rep. John Lewis Speaks on Children’s Health Insurance |
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Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed the State Children’s Health Insurance Program bill with a 289-139 vote. Passage of the bill was managed by the House Ways & Means Committee of which Rep. John Lewis is a senior member. The legislation, formerly vetoed by the Bush Administration provides health insurance for more than 7 million children. The program will protect coverage for those children and expand it to include an additional 4 million children who would otherwise be uninsured. The legislation is paid for through an increase in the federal tobacco tax, as well as a prohibition on kickbacks to physicians from hospitals they own.
Rep. John Lewis made this statement today on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in support of the bill:
“Mr. Speaker, at long last, we will do what is right for our nation’s poorest children; today we will expand SCHIP to 4 million more children. We have a mission, an obligation, a mandate to provide health insurance for all Americans. And now we have a Congress and a President who will meet that obligation for our children. It has taken too long. This nation has been wrong to choose war and greed over children and health. Children need our help. They have a right to health care. Today we will do what is right and pass this expansion of SCHIP.”
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CONTACT:
Brenda Jones
(202) 226 - 4673
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