(HARRISBURG, PA) – U.S. Senators Bob Casey, Jr. and Arlen Specter, Governor Edward G. Rendell, and Congressman Tim Holden joined nurses, parents, hospital administrators, and state lawmakers at the State Capital to call on Congress to increase funding of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which could provide health care coverage to millions of uninsured children.
“In 1992, my father Robert P. Casey, signed into law the Children’s Health Insurance Program that was the model for the federal program,” said Casey. “The Bush budget underfunds the program and would cause 1.4 million children and pregnant women to lose coverage. Further, it attempts to prevent states like my home state of Pennsylvania from expanding SCHIP. We have a chance this year to protect and grow the program to give another generation of children access to health care. We must encourage progress to expand SCHIP, not stifle the efforts of states like Pennsylvania.”
SCHIP offers affordable health coverage for near-poor and moderate income families who don’t qualify for Medicaid but can’t afford private insurance. There are 9 million uninsured children in America. 280,831 uninsured children live in
Pennsylvania.
"Coming so soon after Pennsylvania expanded our CHIP program to 'Cover All Kids,' the funding level proposed under the President's budget could threaten our commitment to helping uninsured children remain healthy," said Governor Edward G. Rendell. "To ensure a bright and healthy future for America's children, I urge Congress to increase federal support for state-administered CHIP programs – it is an investment we can't afford not to make."
The event in Harrisburg coincided with a massive lobbying effort by the largest healthcare union in the nation. Hundreds of nurses, doctors, and assistants, members of the 1 million-member union, SEIU Healthcare, were knocking on doors of Congressional offices in Washington D.C. at the same time that Senators Casey and Specter and Representative Holden were speaking in support of funding SCHIP.
“The frontline caregivers in SEIU Healthcare see kids come into their emergency departments every day, sicker because they don’t have health care insurance,” said Eileen Connelly, Executive Director of the SEIU Pennsylvania State Council. “So today, at this very moment, we’re delivering “First Aid Kits” to members of Congress in Washington. Don’t give up on care for kids.”
Congress has included $50 billion in new SCHIP funding in both Senate and House budget resolutions. SEIU Healthcare members are working to ensure that this funding makes it all the way into the final federal budget.
“The new funding will allow kids to see a doctor on a regular basis, and gives parents peace of mind,” said Kristen Keber, a Registered Nurse in the pediatric unit at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and a member of the Nurse Alliance of Pennsylvania, an affiliate of SEIU 1199P. “Parents should not have to choose between paying for groceries or rent, and paying for a doctor when their children are sick. Kids need care.”
If the final budget includes the full funding for SCHIP, it will mean $1.82 Billion in new funding for children’s health care here in Pennsylvania. According to a Families USA report, the additional money that could be provided to Pennsylvania would not only help children, but it would also improve Pennsylvania's economy. Over the next five years, the $1.82 billion in new federal funding could create:
* $820.6 million in increased business activity;
* $287.7 million in increased wages; and
* 8,498 additional jobs for state residents.
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