Bush Administration Turns Its Back on Uninsured Kids

President’s Previous Promises about Covering Uninsured Children Are Now Ignored and Replaced by Ideological Attacks

On July 12, the Senate Finance and House Energy and Commerce Committees are expected to begin their work reauthorizing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which expires on September 30. As the legislative process begins, however, the Bush Administration is attacking SCHIP. The following is the statement of Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA, about these developments:

“There are 9 million uninsured children in our nation. Two-thirds of them are eligible for public safety-net health coverage such as the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, but they are not participating in such programs, largely due to insufficient funding. These children are in working families whose parents don’t have health coverage through their jobs and who can’t afford family health insurance that now averages more than $12,000 per year.

“These uninsured children need good health care so they can learn in school and become productive adults. Because they are uninsured, however, they are currently denied much-needed preventive and primary care.

“At the 2004 Republican convention, President Bush said, ‘America’s children must also have a healthy start in life.’ He promised that, ‘In a new term, we will lead an aggressive effort to enroll millions of poor children who are eligible but not signed up for government health insurance programs. We will not allow a lack of attention, or information, to stand between these children and the health care they need.’

“Now, as Congress begins its work to fulfill the President’s promise, he is reneging on that promise. Rather than support the successful SCHIP program and help find, enroll, and fund coverage for these millions of children, his proposed budget would result in cutbacks of children’s health coverage. The Administration is also engaging in rhetorical attacks about SCHIP. These attacks, which absurdly suggest that covering low-income kids constitutes a government takeover of health care, are now the Administration’s smokescreen for inaction.

“From its start, the SCHIP program has enjoyed broad, bipartisan support. We implore the President to continue that bipartisan tradition by working with the Congress to cover millions of uninsured children.”  

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Families USA is the national organization for health care consumers. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan and advocates for high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

1201 New York Avenue NW, Suite 1100 · Washington, DC 20005
202-628-3030 · Email: info@familiesusa.org · www.familiesusa.org