[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 148 (Tuesday, October 2, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S12430]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            CHILD HEALTH DAY

  Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I rise today in recognition of Child 
Health Day. Under a joint resolution of Congress, the President has 
proclaimed National Child Health Day each year since 1928. It is 
especially fitting that we celebrated Child Health Day yesterday, 
October 1, 2007, just 4 days after this body approved legislation to 
reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, improving 
benefits and ensuring that 10 million American children receive health 
insurance coverage.
  Child Health Day serves to focus attention on children's health 
issues. Past themes of this day have ranged from prenatal care, 
childhood injury prevention, the importance of immunizations and 
prenatal care. This year's theme is ``Building a Bright Future Through 
Preventive Health,'' and this is exactly what Congress seeks to do with 
the bipartisan reauthorization of CHIP sent to the President for his 
signature.
  The role of preventive health care in ensuring the well-being of all 
people is well established, but such care is especially critical for 
children. The American Academy of Pediatrics, AAP, recommends that 
children receive routine preventive health services such as 
immunizations, vision and hearing checks, and screenings for signs of 
developmental or medical problems. These recommendations include 6 
preventive care visits during a child's first year, 3 visits during the 
second year, and 17 preventive visits between ages 2 and 21.
  Unfortunately, many of our Nation's children do not receive these 
important physician visits. A survey of literature by the Commonwealth 
Fund found that estimates of the number of children who receive all 
their recommended visits range from 37 percent to 81 percent. 
Critically, this review concluded that insurance coverage is the most 
powerful indicator of whether a child receives all recommended well-
child care. One study determined that just 68 percent of uninsured 
children receive the recommended preventive care, compared with 76 
percent of privately insured children and 85 percent of publicly 
insured children.
  The Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act will increase the 
number of children who receive this important preventive care. Simply 
by providing nearly 4 million uninsured children with insurance 
coverage will increase the likelihood that they will be screened for 
developmental and medical problems, receive all their immunizations, 
and benefit from regular hearing and vision checks. In addition, the 
legislation ensures that children who receive their health coverage 
through Medicaid are entitled to all medically necessary early periodic 
screening, diagnosis, and treatment, EPSDT, services. These services 
are required in every State and are designed to improve the health of 
low-income children by addressing their physical, mental, and 
developmental health needs.
  As we recognize Child Health Day, I wish to congratulate Congress on 
its bipartisan effort to improve child health through reauthorization 
of the Children's Health Insurance Program. I also urge President Bush, 
in the spirit of Child Health Day, to drop his veto threat and sign 
this legislation. This is the single most important action he can take 
to ensure more children get the health care they deserve.

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