President Obama signs Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009
On Wednesday, February 4, President Obama signed the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, surrounded by families whose children rely on the program for their health coverage. President Obama referred to SCHIP as a "lifeline for millions of children" and said that it was a "down payment on [his] commitment to cover every single American."
The House passed the bill earlier today by a vote of 290-135. The Senate approved the measure last week after adopting several amendments. The NRHA has been strongly supportive of the SCHIP reauthorization, as rural children are proportionally more reliant on SCHIP and Medicaid.
SCHIP was set to expire on March 31. Under the bill, children in families with incomes of up to three times the federal poverty level will qualify for the program. The program currently covers more than 7 million children whose parents earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but who can't afford private insurance. The bill will expand SCHIP to cover about 4 million more children.
The measure, which will increase SCHIP spending by $32.8 billion over the four-and-a-half-year period, will be funded by a 62-cent-per-pack increase in the federal cigarette tax.
Thank you to all of our members who took the time to call or e-mail their senators and representatives to remind them of the importance this program. For more information about SCHIP, click here.
