[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 127 (Friday, August 3, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10881-S10883]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



  (At the request of Mr. Reid, the folowing statement was ordered to be 
printed in the Record.)

                                  FISA

 Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent from the 
votes related to the reauthorization of FISA. I strongly support the 
critical efforts to protect our national security and, as I have 
repeatedly stated in the past, I want the Federal Government to do all 
that it can to aggressively pursue al-Qaida and other terrorist 
organizations. I believe the legislation developed by Senators 
Rockefeller and Levin achieves these goals without targeting American 
citizens without court authorization. I believe the approach by 
Senators Rockefeller and Levin will give the intelligence community all 
the tools it needs to protect our national security while maintaining 
the independence of the FISA Court. This legislation will give the 
intelligence community the tools they need to collect foreign-to-
foreign intelligence communications. It will compel compliance from 
communications providers. It will allow the intelligence community to 
collect all foreign intelligence information. I hope my colleagues 
support this important legislation.
  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, last night, the Senate was able to 
successfully pass the reauthorization of a popular program that has 
reduced the number of uninsured children in our country by over 6 
million. The Children's Health Insurance Program has helped lower the 
rate of uninsured low-income children by one-third since its enactment 
in 1997. That is a huge accomplishment, and has helped address a 
problem in our country that is unacceptable--the millions of families 
lacking insurance. Moreover, while the bill has a pricetag of roughly 
$40 billion over 10 years, it is fully offset and would cover over 3 
million more children. This program, according to CBO and numerous 
economists, is the most efficient method of getting health care 
insurance to low-income kids and parents, and that means CHIP provides 
the best coverage available for low-income families.
  In my home state of Wisconsin, CHIP is known as BadgerCare and it 
provides health insurance for over 67,000 families. My State has done 
an incredible job of covering uninsured families, and the positive 
effects of this program are felt at schools, in the workforce, and at 
home. This bill helps support Wisconsin's efforts and provides low-
income children in my State with better access to preventive care, 
primary care, and affordable care. The end result is healthier 
families. BadgerCare is vital to the well-being of many families in 
Wisconsin and I am very pleased that this bill supports the program in 
my State, including Wisconsin's choice to cover parents of CHIP and 
Medicaid children.
  The ability to cover adults in CHIP continues to be a priority for 
States like Wisconsin. Many States extend coverage to low-income adults 
and parents of children enrolled in SCHIP. This coverage has been given 
prior Federal approval--including in the Bush administration--and has 
significantly lowered the rate of uninsurance in our states. Wisconsin 
provides family-based coverage, which is an important determinant in 
children's coverage and use of services.
  We know from numerous reports that when we cover parents, we bring 
more uninsured children into the program as well. States like Wisconsin 
have proven this time and again. No child is left off the rolls because 
a parent is covered. Covering parents means covering more kids--bottom 
line. Wisconsin chose to cover parents because research shows that it 
is the best way to bring low-income children into BadgerCare. This 
choice was wisely supported by this administration this May as CMS 
approved parent coverage in BadgerCare for another 3 years. Despite all 
the evidence and the widespread support for this policy, a number of 
Senators wanted to remove all adults from the CHIP program.
  I worked with the Senate Finance Committee and a number of other 
Senators who represent States like Wisconsin on an agreement that will 
allow our States to keep families in the CHIP program. I am grateful to 
my colleagues Senator Baucus and Senator Rockefeller for working with 
me to help Wisconsin keep parents on the rolls while also bringing 
additional tens of millions of dollars to the State. The agreement 
reflected in this bill ensures that Wisconsin will not have to drop a 
single person from the insurance rolls, and will even be able to expand 
coverage to more people in the State. I am happy to support this 
agreement regarding parents today.
  We also have a moral obligation to provide assistance to the very 
poor, even if they do not have children. When we talk about childless 
adults in CHIP, we are talking about the very poorest of the poor. Most 
of the childless adults in the program live well below 100 percent of 
Federal poverty. An adult at 50 percent of the Federal poverty level 
must attempt to survive on less than $500 per month. This is not enough 
to afford adequate food and shelter, let alone health insurance, in any 
State. We all know a single visit to the emergency room can cost more 
than someone in this situation makes in a year. Providing coverage to 
childless adults increases their ability to see a doctor when a problem 
is small, at a significantly lower cost than if care is delayed, the 
problem is exacerbated, and the result is an emergency room visit. 
Covering poor individuals helps to curb the cost of health care and 
health insurance for all of us, because we all bear emergency room 
costs through higher hospital and physician charges and then through 
increased health insurance premiums.
  I strongly believe we should continue to cover current populations. 
CHIP has allowed states to mold the program to meet their specific 
needs, and while we may not all agree with what each State chooses to 
do, we should respect that decision. Additionally, we should never 
impose policies on States that would result in a higher number of 
uninsured for the State. It is bad policy, and it's the wrong thing to 
do.
  Another issue critical to children's health is to ensure that 
unnecessary or burdensome barriers to enrollment are removed. The 
onerous citizenship documentation requirements established in the 2005 
Deficit Reduction Act, DRA, are keeping hundreds of thousands of 
eligible beneficiaries from the health care they need. This provision 
has created a serious new roadblock to coverage. As a result of the 
provision, which requires U.S. citizens to document their citizenship 
and identity when they apply for Medicaid or renew their coverage, a 
growing number of States are reporting a drop in Medicaid enrollment, 
particularly among children, but also among pregnant women and low-
income parents. Health care coverage is being delayed or denied for 
tens of thousands of children who are clearly citizens and eligible for 
Medicaid but who cannot produce the limited forms of documentation 
prescribed by the regulations. These children are having to go without 
necessary medical care, essential medicines and therapies. In addition, 
community health centers are reporting a decline in the number of 
Medicaid patients due to the documentation requirements and are faced 
with treating more uninsured patients as a result.
  In Wisconsin, more than 26,000 individuals--half of whom were 
children under age 16--lost Medicaid or were denied coverage solely 
because they could not satisfy the federal documentation requirements. 
About two-

[[Page S10882]]

thirds of these people are known by the state to be U.S. citizens; most 
of the remainder are likely to be citizens as well, but have yet to 
prove it.

  A study of 300 community health centers, conducted by George 
Washington University, found that the citizenship documentation 
requirements have caused a nationwide disruption in Medicaid coverage. 
Researchers estimate a loss of coverage for as many as 319,500 health 
center patients, which will result in an immediate financial loss of up 
to $85 million in Medicaid revenues. The loss of revenue hampers the 
ability of safety net providers to adequately respond to the medical 
needs of the communities they serve.
  In addition to consequences suffered by eligible U.S. citizens, 
states have reported incurring substantial new administrative costs 
associated with implementing the requirement. They have had to hire 
additional staff, retool computer systems, and pay to obtain birth 
records. States are also reporting that the extra workload imposed by 
the new requirement is diverting time and attention that could be 
devoted to helping more eligible children secure and retain health 
coverage.
  States are in the best position to decide if a documentation 
requirement is needed and, if so, to determine the most effective and 
reasonable ways to implement it. States that do not find it necessary 
to require such documentation could return to the procedures they used 
prior to the DRA and avoid the considerable administrative and 
financial burdens associated with implementing the DRA requirement. 
Most importantly, these states could avoid creating obstacles to 
Medicaid coverage for eligible U.S. citizens.
  Despite significant support for allowing states to determine the best 
way to document citizenship, that complete fix is not included in the 
underlying bill. The restrictions are eased, and this is an important 
first step, but I hope we can continue to move forward on this issue 
and return this requirement to a State option. I am pleased that this 
is done in the CHIP reauthorization in the House version of this 
legislation, and I hope that as we continue to work to support 
children's health care, we will also work to remove barriers to 
enrollment that are preventing our children from receiving the care 
they need.
  In addition to these issues that we considered in the Children's 
Health Insurance Program Reauthorization, I would like to talk about 
the bigger picture of health care reform. There is a crisis facing our 
country, a crisis that directly affects the lives of over 45 million 
people in the United States, and that indirectly affects many more. The 
crisis is the lack of universal health insurance in America. It is 
consistently the number one issue that I hear about in Wisconsin, and 
it is the No. 1 issue for many Americans. Nevertheless, the issue has 
been largely ignored in the Halls of Congress. We sit idle, locked in a 
stalemate, refusing to give this life-threatening problem its due 
attention. We need a way to break that deadlock, and that is why last 
April, I introduced a bill with the Senator from South Carolina, 
Lindsey Graham, that will do just that the State-Based Health Care 
Reform Act.
  Senator Graham and I are from opposite ends of the political 
spectrum, we are from different areas of the country, and we have 
different views on health care. But we agree that something needs to be 
done about health care in our country. In short, our bill establishes a 
pilot project to provide States with the resources needed to implement 
universal health care reform. The bill does not dictate what kind of 
reform the States should implement, it just provides an incentive for 
action, provided the States meet certain minimum coverage and low-
income requirements.
  Even though Senator Graham and I support different methods of health 
care reform, we both agree that this legislation presents a viable 
solution to the logjam preventing reform.
  This bipartisan legislation harnesses the talent and ingenuity of 
Americans to come up with new solutions. This approach takes advantage 
of America's greatest resources--the mind power and creativity of the 
American people--to move our country toward the goal of a working 
health care system with universal coverage. With help from the Federal 
Government, States will be able to try new ways of covering all their 
residents, and our political logjam around health care will begin to 
loosen.
  We are fortunate to live in a country that has been abundantly 
blessed with democracy and wealth, and yet there are those in our 
society whose daily health struggles overshadow these blessings. Over 
the past few days, my colleagues have shared tragic stories of children 
who have suffered as a result of being uninsured, and we have listened 
to the heartwarming stories of families who have--quite literally--been 
saved by the Children's Health Insurance Program. The Children's Health 
Insurance Program reauthorization marks an important leap forward in 
getting coverage to those who need it. I was pleased to support this 
bill's final passage, and I look forward to the day that everyone in 
our country has access to the basic right of health care.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I am in strong support of H.R. 976, the 
Small Business Tax Relief Act. There are few more important issues 
facing the Senate than the health and well-being of our nation's 
children. The vote to pass this legislation is a vote for children. It 
is a vote to do what's right for our nation's youth.
  As the father of two young daughters, I know the importance of having 
the peace of mind to know that if one of them gets sick they have the 
health insurance coverage that will provide for them if they break a 
bone or get a cold. For millions of parents, every slight sniffle or 
aching tooth could mean the difference between paying the rent or 
paying for medical care.
  It is our national shame that nine million children wake up every day 
lacking any form of health insurance. For their parents, the lack of 
access to health insurance means a regular check up is sidelined, a 
dental exam goes unscheduled, or an early diagnosis of a chronic 
condition such as asthma or diabetes is postponed. For families, such 
delays in access to proper health care set the stage for children to 
grow up underperforming in school, developing preventable or treatable 
conditions, or worse, permanent disability or even premature death.
  The lack of health insurance goes beyond poor health outcomes. Health 
insurance is inextricably linked with alleviating child poverty. Low-
income families without insurance often get stuck in an endless cycle 
of medical debt. Personal debt due to medical expenses is a primary 
cause of bankruptcy filings in this country. Parents already struggling 
to make ends meet should not have to choose between buying medication 
for their children and putting food on the table.
  I commend the chairman and ranking member of the Finance Committee 
for working so hard to put together a bill that will benefit the lives 
of millions of children and their families. Through their leadership 
and that of Senators Hatch, Rockefeller, Kennedy and many others, since 
the Children's Health Insurance Program was first enacted, the number 
of uninsured children has decreased by one-third. The bill passed by 
the Senate is an important vote for children. Although I supported 
efforts to broaden the bill to cover an additional one million 
uninsured children, the bill passed by the Senate is a tremendous 
investment in the health and future of our children.
  Specifically, this bill continues providing coverage for 6.6 million 
children currently enrolled in CHIP and provides coverage for 3.2 
million children who are currently uninsured today. It will reduce the 
number of uninsured children by one third over the next 5 years.
  In my own State of Connecticut, our CHIP program, commonly known as 
HUSKY B, has brought affordable health insurance to more than 130,000 
children in working families since its inception in 1998. H.R. 976 is 
essential to states like Connecticut so that they may continue to 
operate programs like HUSKY B and build on their proven success to 
insure even more children.
  I am additionally very pleased that my Support for Injured 
Servicemembers Act amendment was included in the final SCHIP bill. This 
amendment provides up to 6 months of Family and Medical Leave Act, 
FMLA, leave for family members of military personnel who suffer from a 
combat-related injury or illness. FMLA currently allows three months of 
unpaid leave. Fourteen

[[Page S10883]]

years ago, FMLA declared the principle that workers should never be 
forced to choose between the jobs they need and the families they love. 
In the years since its passage, more than 50 million Americans have 
taken advantage of its provisions to care for a sick love one, or 
recover from illness themselves, or welcome a new baby into the family.
  Mr. President, if ordinary Americans deserve those rights, how much 
more do they apply to those who risk their lives in the service of our 
country? Soldiers who have been wounded in our service deserve 
everything America can give to speed their recoveries--but most of all, 
they deserve the care of their closest loved ones. Given the severity 
of their injuries, and our debt of gratitude, our servicemembers need 
more. That is exactly what is offered in the Support for Injured 
Servicemembers Act.
  Senator Bob Dole and former Secretary of Health and Human Services 
Donna Shalala have been instrumental in this effort as well, through 
their thoughtfulness and work on the President's Commission on Care for 
America's Returning Wounded Warriors. It's not surprising that the 
Commission found that family members play a critical role in the 
recovery of our wounded servicemembers. The commitment shown by the 
families and friends of our troops is truly inspiring. According to the 
Commission's report, 33 percent of active duty servicemembers report 
that a family member or close friend relocated for extended periods of 
time to help their recoveries. It also points out that 21 percent of 
active duty servicemembers say that their friends or family members 
gave up jobs to find the time.
  I am pleased that Senator Clinton is the lead co-sponsor of my 
amendment. FMLA was the very first bill that President Clinton signed 
into law, and I am grateful that his wife, Senator Clinton, continues 
to support the principles that I have been fighting for over 20 years. 
I am pleased that Senators Dole, Graham, Kennedy, Chambliss, Reed, 
Mikulski, Murray, Salazar, Lieberman, Menendez, Brown, Nelson of 
Nebraska, and Cardin are co-sponsoring this amendment. I thank Senator 
Baucus and Senator Grassley for accepting this important amendment and 
appreciate the support of all of my colleagues in this effort.
  Mr. President, I am troubled by the comments from the Bush 
administration about this bill. It is a bill to help children and an 
overwhelming majority of members on both sides of the aisle have voted 
to support that goal. The CHIP Program is a model of success and this 
bill provides sustainable and predictable health care coverage for low 
income children regardless of their health status. One day soon, the 
President will make a decision on whether to sign CHIP reauthorization 
into law. At that moment, all Americans will know whether the President 
stands for children or would rather stand in the way of children's 
access to critically needed health care.

                          ____________________