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August 17 SCHIP Directive 90 Days Away
5/20/2008
Nearly 180 Organizations Join Opposition to
Children's Health Directive
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, just 90 days away from the implementation of a directive that would restrict State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) coverage in at least 23 states and the District of Columbia, 179 organizations from across the nation came together to call on President Bush to repeal the measure, issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on August 17th, 2007.
The groups represent national, state, and local organizations from across the nation and, in a joint statement issued to the President and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, express concern that children will lose coverage as a result of CMS’ policy change.
Spearheaded by First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization, national leaders such as National Association of Community Health Centers, the American Association of School Administrators, AARP, Easter Seals, Children’s Health Fund, the United Way of America, and many others have signed onto the statement. In addition, an extraordinary number of state-based organizations have added their names to the statement.
“Just 90 days from the implementation of this directive, which will adversely affect millions of American children living in families who cannot afford health insurance, such an outpouring of opposition to this directive from groups across the country is a testament to how unpopular this regulation is nationwide," said Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus. “It is irresponsible to ask a child with cancer or a newborn who is trying to enroll in health care to be denied or wait for coverage, even if a parent dies or loses their job. Our organizations stand together today united in the belief that no child trying to enroll in health coverage should ever be forced to jump through a series of bureaucratic hoops to attain coverage. To protect the health and well being of our nation's future, this directive should simply be withdrawn. In this time of economic downturns nationwide, of foreclosures affecting over 2 million kids, and other harsh realities for young people, additional roadblocks to enrolling children in health coverage are not what American families need, and is, in fact, contrary to the spirit of our nation.”
The statement to President Bush reads, in part: “As organizations committed to ensuring that all of our nation's children have access to affordable health care coverage, we strongly believe that no child in America who is currently covered under SCHIP or Medicaid should lose their health coverage or access to care as a result of this administrative directive. We share your commitment to ensuring that federal health coverage programs make our nation's lowest income children the foremost priority, however, the CMS directive runs directly contrary to our common goal of covering America's poorest children first… Instead of spending precious federal resources on litigation to restrict coverage of low-income children, we should focus our efforts on improving coverage for these kids. No child in America should lose their health coverage as a result of philosophical differences in Washington, D.C. Our nation must do better for our children.”
Click here to read a copy of the letter.
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