SCHIP helps ensure that all children have access to quality health care. It allows the states, with federal support, to design health insurance programs for the children of working families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but who cannot afford to purchase health insurance on their own.
Since 1997, the SCHIP program has contributed to a one-third decline in the number of uninsured low-income children. Today, an estimated 6.7 million children, including more than 14,400 children here in Maine, receive health care coverage through this program. SCHIP has been a resounding success.
The re-authorization of SCHIP just passed by the Congress and signed into law by President Obama will lead to even greater success. This legislation increases SCHIP funding by $32.8 billion and will cover an estimated 4.1 million additional low-income children during the next four-and-a-half years. While Maine ranks among the top four states in reducing the number of uninsured children, we still have more than 20,000 children in our state who lack coverage. Nationwide, some 9 million children still lack coverage. The expansion of SCHIP comes at a crucial time when the loss of jobs due to the economic crisis may lead to the loss of employer-sponsored health coverage.
In addition to covering more children, the new legislation improves SCHIP in several important ways. I am particularly pleased that the bill includes a requirement for states that offer mental health services through their SCHIP program to provide coverage that is equivalent in scope to benefits for physical illnesses. Treating behavioral and emotional problems and mental illness while children are young is critical to preventing more serious problems later on.
The bill also includes a provision I coauthored to provide greater dental coverage for low-income children. Low-income and rural children suffer disproportionately from oral health problems. In fact, 80 percent of all tooth decay is found in just 25 percent of children. This legislation will strengthen the dental coverage offered through SCHIP to ensure that more low-income children have access to the dental care that they need to prevent disease and promote oral health. In recognition of the fact that good health begins before birth, another important new provision gives states the option of covering low-income pregnant women.
As the Co-Chair of the Alliance for Health Reform, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that is an invaluable resource for information and insight about one of the most pressing issues facing our nation, I have long been concerned about the need to extend the SCHIP program in order to keep our commitment to meet the health care needs of the children of our low-income working families.
The new SCHIP bill is a significant step toward that commitment. It is a prescription for good health for millions of our nation's low-income children. SCHIP has been a tremendous success and has made such a difference to so many families. Now, SCHIP will make an even bigger difference to even more families.