[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 27, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S63]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               CHILD SUPPORT PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT ACT

 Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, the Senator from Massachusetts 
(Mr. Kerry) has been added as a cosponsor to S. 1293, the Child Support 
Performance Improvement Act. Senator Snowe and I introduced this 
legislation last year to call for critical ways to strengthen child 
support enforcement, including an effort to address the critical need 
for medical support among children with absent parents.
  It is an honor to have Senator Kerry, a long-time child advocate and 
leader, join Senator Snowe and me in our effort to promote effective 
and efficient child support enforcement. Senator Kerry's commitment to 
this issue is well known, and he has been aggressive pushing for action 
through previous legislation.
  Today, we are joining forces to promote our bill, S. 1293, and to 
work together on a new initiative to resolve the lingering barriers 
that prevent enforcement of medical child support, a crucial aspect of 
support and stability for children and families. Senator Kerry's 
special commitment to medical support is clear. Working with him and 
other colleagues, we want to eliminate the barriers which hinder state 
agencies from effectively implementing the 1984 federal law that 
requires states to petition for medical child support, if it is 
available from non-custodial parents. Our law says children should not 
be discriminated against in health care coverage in cases of divorce, 
but we need to work together to ensure that this obvious principle 
works in practice. Public health coverage, through Medicaid or the new 
children's health initiative, should not be a substitute for private 
insurance from parents when such insurance is available. We hope to 
ensure that children get coverage they need and deserve.
  To achieve our goals, we want to work with congressional colleagues, 
child advocates, state leaders, interested business groups and the 
Administration to ensure that we forge consensus on ways to tear down 
existing barriers to health care coverage that is fair and streamlined.
  The technical nature of this issue is complicated. But the reality 
for children and families is clear--medical coverage means that parents 
have the peace of mind that their children can obtain the health care 
that is so vital for a healthy, successful childhood. I welcome Senator 
Kerry's support and urge all of my colleagues to join in this effort.
  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I am pleased to join the distinguished 
Senator from West Virginia as a cosponsor of this very important child 
support legislation. He has long been a leader on these issues and I am 
delighted to work with him to ensure that children get the support they 
need and deserve. I particularly look forward to working together to 
pass medical enforcement legislation. At least 700,000 children 
nationwide have a health insurance order through an ERISA-protected 
plan where the noncustodial parent fails to provide the required 
coverage. Providing an efficient, effective way for child support 
agencies to enforce the requirement for medical child support coverage 
through ERISA-protected plans would result in more children with 
private health insurance and reduced public costs for medical coverage.

                          ____________________