Texas Impact, UMW and Methodist Healthcare Ministries Deliver "Back on Track" Postcards to Legislators

In conjunction with United Methodist Women's annual legislative conference, Texas Impact, the United Methodist Women and Methodist Healthcare Ministries held a press conference announcing the delivery of more than 3,500 postcards to legislators calling for the Texas lawmakers to "Get Kids' Health Back on Track".

“A budget shortfall in 2003 led to massive cuts that hurt Texas children,” said the Rev. Mimi Raper of First United Methodist Church in Austin.  “A better economy has returned to Texas, state tax revenues are up, and there is a surplus for the legislature to work with.  We must invest in our future by getting CHIP back on track in order to build a healthy future for Texas.  That future starts today with our children.”

Statewide, more than 185,000 children have fallen off CHIP since the 2003 cuts.  Coverage was restricted and applications had to be filled out more often.  

“Texas has the highest rate of uninsured children in the nation,” said Bee Moorhead, Executive Director of Texas Impact, a faith-based social advocacy organization that coordinates the UMW Legislative Event.  “At a time when other states are insuring all their children, Texas is off track and falling further behind.”

Moorhead noted that in his State of the Union address, President Bush said, “A future of hope and opportunity requires that all our citizens have affordable and available health care. When it comes to health care, government has an obligation to care for the elderly, the disabled and poor children. And we will meet those responsibilities.”

“Lt. Governor Dewhurst does not think it’s a burden for hard working families to fill out unnecessary paperwork, filing the same forms twice a year.  He does not have to do that for his state health insurance, however, and he surely understands the burden of unnecessary, bureaucratic paperwork for businesses.  That is not the way to get CHIP back on track,” Mary Beth Gibson, Chair of the UMW said.

“There is a great deal of talk in Austin about protecting Texas children during this legislative session,” Gibson added.  “We believe the best way to protect our children is to insure their health and safety by getting CHIP back on track.”

Texas religious groups have collected and forwarded more than 30,000 postcards from Texans calling for CHIP restoration since the massive cuts.  The most recent delivery included more than 3,500 cards signed by Texans from all over the state.

The United Methodist Church is the second-largest Protestant denomination in the United States, with more than 8 million lay members nationally and more than 800,000 lay members in Texas. The United Methodist Women is a group within the United Methodist Church committed to social action and advocacy. There are an estimated 100,000 members of United Methodist Women in Texas.

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