[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 9645-9646]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         IN SUPPORT OF S. 2420

  Mr. GRAHAM of Florida. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 
the following letters in relation to the May 13, 2004 introduction of 
the SCHIP Expansion Act, S. 2420, be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                      Children's Defense Fund,

                                     Washington, DC, May 13, 2004.
     The Hon. Bob Graham,
     Senate Hart Office Building 524, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Graham: The Children's Defense Fund shares 
     your goal of strengthening the State Children's Health 
     Insurance program (SCHIP). The SCHIP program provided 
     coverage to 5.8 million children in 2003, but the latest data 
     indicate that there are still approximately 8-9 million 
     uninsured children, the majority of whom are currently 
     eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP.
       To cover these eligible, uninsured children states will 
     need to further simplify their Medicaid and SCHIP enrollment 
     and especially retention processes. They will also need 
     additional federal resources. The SCHIP Expansion Act of 2004 
     would provide $18 billion in additional federal SCHIP funds 
     and would also encourage states to adopt important Medicaid 
     and SCHIP improvements such as continuous eligibility and 
     passive renewal. In addition, your bill would, appropriately, 
     prevent states with unspent federal SCHIP funds from capping 
     or freezing program enrollment.
       We look forward to working with you to enact legislation 
     that will provide strong incentives for states to elect 
     currently available options to streamline Medicaid and SCHIP 
     enrollment and retention, and will discourage states from 
     restricting enrollment in the SCHIP program.
       Thank you for your leadership on this important issue.
           Sincerely,
                                                      Emil Parker,
     Director of Health, Children's Defense Fund.
                                  ____



                                       Catholic Charities USA,

                                     Alexandria, VA, May 13, 2004.
       Dear Senator Graham: As a strong supporter of Medicaid and 
     the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), 
     Catholic Charities USA would like to express our support for 
     the SCHIP Expansion Act of 2004. We thank you for sponsoring 
     this vital piece of legislation that we believe represents a 
     critical step in providing coverage to all uninsured 
     children.
       We are especially pleased that the SCHIP Expansion Act of 
     2004 directly addresses the problem of health care access 
     that millions of uninsured children face by providing new 
     state options to expand SCHIP to all uninsured children 
     regardless of income. This legislation will help ensure 
     children's access to primary and preventive health care, 
     enabling them to grow up healthy and participate in their 
     communities.
       We also support the provisions in the SCHIP Expansion Act 
     of 2004 that would provide a higher federal SCHIP match to 
     those states who streamline the enrollment process by 
     implementing presumptive eligibility, twelve-month continuous 
     enrollment, elimination of the asset test, and passive 
     renewal. These simplification measures will allow families to 
     gain quicker access to the health care they need.
       In addition, we are pleased that this legislation restores 
     federal funding allotments to pre-2002 SCHIP funding levels, 
     which will enable states to continue to enroll and cover even 
     more uninsured children.
       Catholic Charities agencies work nationally and at the 
     state level to ensure as many eligible children as possible 
     are enrolled in Medicaid and SCHIP. We believe that it is 
     critically important to ensure that poor and low-income 
     children and families have access to the health care they so 
     vitally need.

[[Page 9646]]

       We thank you for introducing this legislation as we believe 
     it represents an important step towards reducing the number 
     of uninsured children in country and reducing the barriers to 
     health care that many families face.
       Sincerely,
                                                      Sharon Daly,
     Vice President, Social Policy.

                          ____________________