Before the congressional August recess, both the US House and the US Senate passed versions of legislation reauthorizing funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Both versions of SCHIP reauthorization include increased funding for the program, which is vital to account for inflation and population growth. The House version of the legislation includes a larger increase than the Senate version, which would allow states to cover more children.

The State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP), created in 1997, is a source of funding for state initiatives to provide health insurance for more than four million uninsured children whose families' income are below 200 percent of the federal poverty line or $33,600 for a family of three. Unfortunately, not all children who qualify for SCHIP receive the benefit: 6 million of the 9 million children who are uninsured in this country qualify for SCHIP but do not receive the benefits.

SCHIP is a crucial program, providing access to quality, affordable life-saving and preventative care. According to a recent report from the health care advocacy organization Families USA, last year children without insurance were 13 times less likely to have a relationship with a primary care doctor or clinic and were two times less likely to have seen a doctor for a well visit.

To keep the existing four million children enrolled and cover the nearly 6 million children that qualify for the program but are not currently enrolled, studies have shown that Congress needs to allocate an additional $50 billion over the next five years. Without this money, hundreds of thousands of children who currently receive government sponsored health insurance will lose their coverage.

President Bush has threatened to veto both houses' versions of the legislation. During the August recess, the administration also promulgated new regulations limiting states' discretion over CHIP eligibility, something that has been a hallmark of the program since it was established and a factor in its success.

The next step in SCHIP reauthorization will be a conference committee that must develop a compromise bill reflecting the House and Senate-approved versions of the legislation. Once the conference committee bill is sent back to the House and Senate, there can be no amendments; each house must vote "up or down" on the bill as it is presented.

SCHIP's current authorization expires September 30, 2007. It is therefore imperative that Congress complete work on reauthorization by the end of the month to avoid jeopardizing state CHIP programs.

TAKE ACTION!

Although only a few members of Congress will be appointed to the SCHIP conference committee, every member can shape the the outcome by helping the conferees to craft the strongest possible bill.

Contact your congressional representative and encourage them to ask the SCHIP reauthorization conferees for two key provisions:

1. "Stick with the House" on funding--the House version of the bill includes $50 billion in increased funding compared to $35 bill in the Senate version, and with more than 9 million uninsured American children, Congress should aim to cover as many kids as possible.

2. Reject any new interpretations of current SCHIP regulations, such as those recently mandated by the administration, that limit states’ flexibility to meet the needs of their children and families.

Remind your congressional representative of the urgency associated with SCHIP reauthorization, and remind them that Texas lawmakers took strong action on our state's CHIP program this year that will be undermined if Congress fails to act timely on its responsibility to reauthorize the program.