Programs 
Legislative Advocacy
Action Alert Archive
ACTION
ALERT Date:
August 19, 2004
Subject:
CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program)
From
our friends at the Children's Defense Fund:
If Congress
does not take action, an estimated $1 billion in State Children's
Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funds from prior years will
expire on September 30, 2004. States need these funds to maintain
and expand CHIP coverage of children in low-income working
families. In
fiscal ear (FY) 2003, states provided health
care to 5.8 million children through CHIP.
Senators
Rockefeller (D-WV), Chafee (R-RI), Kennedy (D-MA) and Snowe
(R-ME) and Representatives Barton (R-TX) and Dingell (D-MI)
have introduced the Children's Health Improvement and Protection
(CHIP) Act. The
legislation (S. 2759/H.R. 4936) would keep all CHIP funds
in the program and available to states through 2007, when
CHIP is scheduled to be reauthorized by Congress.
The
CHIP Act builds on last year's CHIP legislation, which was
unanimously approved by Congress, by allowing states with
expiring funds to retain a portion while redistributing the
remainder to the states most in need of that funding to preserve
coverage.
The
CHIP Act would make approximately $1 billion in additional
CHIP funds available to states in FY 2005, an additional $900
million available in FY 2006 and an additional $850 million
available in FY 2007, relative to current law. Virtually all states would have more CHIP
funding available under the bill; the National Governors Association
has endorsed S. 2759/H.R. 4936.
Please
contact your US Senators and Representatives and voice your
support for S. 2759 and H.R. 4936.
Their contact information is listed below.
Thank you. - Patti-
Patti
O'Callaghan
Director of
Social Justice
Lafayette Urban Ministry
CONTACT
INFO:
Senator Bayh: (202) 224-5623; 1-800-289-0356
e-mail through
the web: http://bayh.senate.gov/index1.html
463 Russell
Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510
Senator
Lugar: (202) 224-4814; 1-888-280-6279
e-mail: senator_lugar@lugar.senate.gov
306 Hart Senate
Office Building, Washington DC 20510-1401
Rep.
Stephen Buyer (4th District) (202) 225-5037
2443 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515-1405
e-mail through
the web: www.house.gov/buyer/contact.htm
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