Congresswoman Gwen Moore - Representing Wisconsin's 4th Congressional District Press Release
For Immediate Release
August 1, 2007
 Contact: Deirdre Murphy
(202) 225-4572
 

MOORE PRAISES SCHIP LEGISLATION, URGES HOUSE PASSAGE OF CHAMP ACT

Wisconsin Would Receive $611.3 Million to Cover Many of Its Uninsured Children

Moore: CHAMP Act Would Bring 6 Million More Uninsured Children Essential Health Care
 
(Washington, DC)—  Congresswoman Gwen Moore stressed her support for the Children’s Health and Medicare Protection Act (CHAMP) as the U.S. House of Representatives debates the legislation today. The CHAMP Act, which strengthens the existing State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), will expand health insurance coverage from 6 million children to 11 million otherwise uninsured children, a large step forward in the effort to ensure children get the health care they need.  

The SCHIP legislation would bring $611.3 million in new federal funds to Wisconsin over the next five years for child health care coverage, allowing the state to expand health care to many more of its 101,855 uninsured children.  

“Caring for our nation’s children should be a requirement for our country, not an option. Ensuring our children receive the health care they need is a crucial priority for our nation and this legislation will not only reauthorize coverage for the 6 million children currently in the program, but also bring coverage to 5 million more kids,” Congresswoman Gwen Moore said. “There is no doubt about it, SCHIP works. SCHIP has helped to significantly reduce the number of children who go day in and day out without essential health care and this legislation will allow us to build on that success.” 

KEY LEGISLATION FACTS:  
  • SCHIP covers children of low-income working families whose parents do not earn enough to pay for private health insurance but at the same time make too much to be eligible for health coverage under Medicaid.
  • The House SCHIP bill would expand the program by nearly $50 billion over the next 5 years to a total of $75 billion. 
  • The House SCHIP bill would bring more than 5 million additional children into SCHIP. Currently, 6 million children are covered under SCHIP.
The House CHAMP Act is a crucial piece of legislation because without its passage and, accordingly, the reauthorization of SCHIP, 6 million children would lose their current health care coverage.

“This is a moral issue,” Moore said. “We should not stand by and watch as millions of children are unable to get the preventative care they need.”
 

###


Home Page | Press List