LANSING – State Representatives Robert Dean (D-Grand Rapids) and Mary Valentine
(D-Norton
Shores) today co-sponsored a House resolution calling on
the U.S. Congress to take action by overriding President George W. Bush's veto of the State Children's Health Care
Program (SCHIP). SCHIP is a federal program that provides insurance coverage to targeted low-income children who are
uninsured but not eligible for Medicaid.
"For Michigan's communities to be strong and
thriving, it is critical for our residents – particularly our children – to be healthy and have access to
health care," Dean said. "As lawmakers, we must protect the health and lives of our most vulnerable citizens –
innocent children. An override of President Bush's veto is crucial to providing access
to health care for millions of children throughout the
U.S. and thousands of children here
in Michigan."
Since 1997, the SCHIP program has allocated more than $40 billion in children's health insurance funding to
states to expand its Medicaid program or to implement a combined program relying on Medicaid and separate private plans.
The bipartisan SCHIP bill was recently passed by the U.S. House and Senate, and then vetoed by President Bush. The
measure that was vetoed would have added $35 billion over the next five years to cover 10 million children across the
U.S.
Michigan uses SCHIP funds to administer the MI Child
program, which provides insurance coverage to approximately 55,000 children throughout the state each year, as well as
65,000 very low income adults under the Adult Benefits Waiver. MI Child covers regular check ups, shots, emergency care,
dental care, pharmacy, hospital care, prenatal care and delivery, vision and hearing, mental health and substance abuse,
and other vital areas for our kids. Since MI Child started in 1997, the number of uninsured children declined by 26.6
percent, resulting in nearly 79,000 more children having health care coverage than 10 years ago.
"MI Child has operated in conjunction with the Medicaid program to provide a much-needed safety net for
thousands of Michigan's children," Valentine said.
"Cutting the program now would be devastating, jeopardizing the health and future of too many of our children. Expansion
of the SCHIP program is long overdue and strongly supported by the people of
Michigan and throughout the
U.S."
