by Richard Bucciarelli
July 10, 2007

The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is a federal program that provides much-needed insurance to children across the country who do not qualify for Medicaid. The program was initiated in 1997 and, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), currently provides health insurance for 6.6 million children nationwide annually. Also according to AAP figures, there are roughly 9 million children in our country who are currently uninsured. Of those 9 million, 6 million meet eligibility requirements for Medicaid or SCHIP but are not currently enrolled. To put it in perspective, this is more than all the children enrolled in first and second grades in our public school system.

Of critical importance is that SCHIP is scheduled to expire on September 30, 2007, unless it is reauthorized by the 110th Congress. If Congress renews and fully funds SCHIP, up to 6 million more children will gain access to health care coverage, bringing our nation closer to the goal of providing quality health care to all of our nations’ children. If it is not reauthorized, the number of uninsured American children could swell to over 15 million.

Earlier this year, several concerned members of Congress pledged, in a bipartisan effort, $50 billion ($10 billion a year for five years) to reauthorize SCHIP and to address many of the critical issues facing the Medicaid program. With this level of support, our nation can ensure that those children currently in SCHIP and Medicaid and those eligible for the programs are enrolled and receive appropriate medical care. With the reauthorization of SCHIP, we can cover over 12 million children and reduce the number of uninsured children to the lowest number seen in over three decades.

Fifty billion dollars sounds like a lot of money, but from a societal perspective, what better investment do we have than the health of our children? Children who have insurance and access to medical care are 15 times more likely to have a regular physician, 10 times less likely to experience delays in necessary care, and 5 times more likely to see a dentist within two years.

In Florida, there are still 720,000 uninsured children. Reauthorization of SCHIP would bring an additional $2.54 billion in federal funds to Florida, cover an additional 480,000 children, and provide more than 13,000 new jobs.

In California, an additional 900,000 children would receive coverage, and 29,000 new jobs would be created.

In New York, over 300,000 more children would be covered, and 15,000 new jobs would be created.

Wouldn’t you agree that this is a great return on an investment in the future of our nation, plus an asset to our economy? I encourage you to contact members of your congressional delegation today and urge them to reauthorize SCHIP and fully fund this valuable program.

For more information contact Families USA or the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Editor’s Note—September 7, 2007
The U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives have approved legislation to reauthorize SCHIP. With the release of the Census health coverage numbers, the Kaiser Family Foundation has released an updated brief that answers key questions and explains the ongoing policy debate about this public health coverage program, which builds on Medicaid’s coverage of 28 million poor and low-income children.

It includes a side-by-side comparison of the House and Senate legislative provisions and information on the new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidance.