[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 144 (Wednesday, September 26, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1982-E1983]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 25, 2007

  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of 
the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007. 
Truly, we face a health care crisis in this country--in the richest 
country on Earth, 46 million Americans do not have health insurance, 
including 9 million children. Today's bipartisan, bicameral compromise 
is not a perfect solution to that problem, but is a decisive, strong 
step towards covering uninsured kids and fulfilling our moral 
obligation to our children.
  In my home State of Virginia, the CHIP program, known as FAMIS or 
Family Access to Medical Insurance Security, currently provides 
coverage to 137,642 low-income children each year. The current 
population survey estimates that 171,642 children in Virginia remain 
uninsured, and the CHIP Reauthorization Act will help us cover 74,200 
of these children in Fiscal Year 2008. The CHIP Reauthorization Act 
will ensure that these children have access to high quality health 
insurance, including the preventative services that children need to be 
healthy and successful in school and later in life. This bill will 
provide dental and mental health benefits on par with medical and 
surgical services--truly ensuring that the whole child's health is 
provided for.
  The CHIP Reauthorization Act does not increase the deficit, through a 
61-cent-per-pack increase in the Federal excise tax on cigarettes. In 
my view as chairman of the Congressional Prevention Caucus, an increase 
in the Federal tobacco tax is sound public health policy. On the one 
hand, it provides a reliable revenue source to offset the costs of 
expanding coverage to low-income children. On the other, given that 70 
percent of health care spending in the U.S. can be attributed to 
chronic diseases, many of which are linked to smoking, measures which 
reduce tobacco use, particularly among young people, are responsible 
ways to improve public health and reduce the overall costs of our 
healthcare system.
  The CHIP Reauthorization Act also addresses a serious problem arising 
from the implementation of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. Opponents 
of this responsible, common-sense, humane adjustment claim that 
language in the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) that imposed harsher 
citizenship verification requirements on State Medicaid programs is the 
only barrier protecting taxpayer dollars from being spent on healthcare 
for illegal immigrants. Empirical evidence from the first 9 months of 
the implementation of this rule demonstrates, in fact, that nothing 
could be further from the truth.
  First and foremost, existing Federal law and provisions in the CHIP 
Reauthorization Act prevent Federal funds from being spent to provide 
benefits for illegal immigrants. Section 605 specifically states that 
``nothing in this act allows Federal payment for individuals who are 
not legal immigrants.'' Illegal immigrants have never been eligible for 
Medicaid, and nothing in the CHIP Reauthorization Act would change that 
fact.
  Secondly, the DRA requirements have overwhelmingly failed to meet 
their objective--producing cost savings for the Medicaid program. 
Instead, they have imposed substantial additional costs on taxpayers 
while reducing health care benefits available to poor children. Wait 
times have skyrocketed, and measures to streamline the application 
process have been rendered impossible. In the first 9 months of the 
implementation of this requirement, six States spent a combined $16.6 
million in State and Federal dollars, and found just eight undocumented 
immigrants out of a pool of 3.6 million Medicaid applicants. The DRA 
requirements have effectively led States and the Federal Government to 
spend millions of dollars in additional administrative expenses, funds 
which have ultimately been put to use denying care to tens of thousands 
of otherwise eligible American children.

  Third, these draconian requirements, which are far stricter than 
those employed by other government programs, have caused tens of 
thousands of U.S. citizen children to lose health insurance coverage. 
In Virginia, there was a net decline of more than 11,000 children 
enrolled in Medicaid during the first nine months of implementation. 
Had growth in enrollment continued at the same rate it had during the 
previous 2 years, the State would have seen an increase of 9,000 poor 
children in the program during this same time period. Kansas has seen a 
net decline of 14,000 children.
The Virginia State Medicaid Office has

[[Page E1983]]

identified a total of two undocumented immigrants during this period; 
meanwhile, 20,000 poor children have gone without health insurance. 
Data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities suggests that 
these children are overwhelmingly African American, hardly the 
demographic results we'd expect if our colleagues were correct in 
suggesting that tens of thousands of illegal immigrant children were 
being denied coverage.
  The debate about reauthorizing SCHIP should be about the public 
health and improving the health of our children. In a recent survey, 90 
percent of parents applying for Medicaid for their children indicated 
that they have no other health coverage available. Allowing state 
flexibility in citizenship verification is sound public health policy 
that would enable thousands of American children access to vital health 
services to help them live better, healthier, and more productive 
lives. Because Medicaid is now the single largest cost to state 
taxpayers, we ought to make a concerted effort to support state 
flexibility. Twenty-four Senators signed letters to Chairman Baucus 
asking him to include this measure in the Senate's bipartisan SCHIP 
bill, and 51 other House Members joined me in requesting that Chairman 
Dingell include this provision in the House version. I thank the 
Committees for including this important provision in this landmark 
legislation.
  Reauthorizing SCHIP is sound public health policy--research shows 
that children who have access to health insurance are substantially 
more likely to access key preventative services, miss fewer days of 
school due to illness, get better grades, and continue to have superior 
outcomes later in life. Moreover, the financial benefits of covering 
children vastly outweigh the costs--one need only compare the cost of a 
visit to a primary care provider to the cost of a night spent in the 
emergency room. But above all, covering all our children is a moral 
imperative--it is the only possible humane, responsible course of 
action. I urge a yes vote on the underlying bill, and furthermore, 
would urge the President, in the strongest possible terms, not to veto 
this vitally needed, responsible legislation to cover the most 
vulnerable members of our society: our children.

                          ____________________