WASHINGTON DC—On Wednesday January 14, 2009, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (NY-04) voted for H.R. 2, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, which will provide healthcare coverage for 11 million children. The bill will also preserve coverage for the 7 million children currently covered by SCHIP and extend coverage to 4 million additional, uninsured children who are currently eligible for, but not enrolled in, SCHIP and Medicaid.

 

The reauthorization of SCHIP improves upon the original program, first passed in 1997, by strengthening the financing of the system, adding streamlining measures and expanding coverage and benefits. SCHIP was created to provide health care coverage for children in families that earn too little to afford health insurance for their children themselves but too much to qualify for Medicaid. As of 2007, over 650,000 children were covered by SCHIP in New York State.

 

“Every child in America deserves access to affordable healthcare. SCHIP is critical for the health and safety of our nation’s most valuable resource, our children. The passage of SCHIP will ensure that millions more children will be able to have healthcare coverage, and in these difficult economic times, it is more important than ever for American families to have the tools they need to keep their children healthy,” said Rep. McCarthy. 

 

The bill not only reauthorizes SCHIP and expands coverage; it is paid for through an increase in the tobacco tax. 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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