WASHINGTON, D.C.—In a letter to the President, U.S. Senators Olympia J.
Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) are urging the Administration to ensure
that its FY 2008 budget include sufficient funding for the continued success
of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
The following is the full text of the letter.
Dear Mr. President:
As you develop your fiscal year 2008 budget, we urge you to ensure that it
includes sufficient funding to continue the remarkable success of the State
Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Since 1997, in conjunction with
improvements states have made to Medicaid, SCHIP has contributed to a one-
third decline in the uninsured rate of low-income children. Today, over six
million children benefit from this effective health care program. However, to
continue this success it is essential that your budget provide adequate
funding.
As Senators committed to helping children, we strongly believe that SCHIP
reauthorization should be accorded high priority in your fiscal year 2008
budget. We urge you to ensure that the budget provides adequate federal
funding for states to both maintain their existing SCHIP caseloads and for
states to cover all children and pregnant women up to 200 percent of the
federal poverty line. We are deeply concerned that if your budget does not
include additional funding to fully address the SCHIP shortfalls and account
for growth in the program, many current SCHIP beneficiaries will lose their
health care and a large and growing number of states will face substantial
federal funding shortfalls in their SCHIP programs over the next few years.
In fact, it is estimated that by 2012, more than 33 states will be affected by
this funding problem.
SCHIP reauthorization will be one of the most important issues for children we
consider in the 110th Congress. We are committed to working on SCHIP
reauthorization to continue our nation's great progress in covering more
uninsured needy children, and hope that you will provide the funding necessary
to ensure its success. We thank you for your consideration of this important
matter and look forward to working with you on SCHIP reauthorization in 2007.