[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 20544]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE CHAMP ACT AND PROVIDING HEALTH CARE TO 5 MILLION 
                               MORE KIDS

  (Mr. BRALEY of Iowa asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, the State Children's Health 
Insurance Program, or SCHIP, is one of the most important and 
worthwhile programs in our government. It was created with broad 
bipartisan support by Congress in 1997, and provides critical health 
care benefits to children whose parents either cannot afford insurance, 
or hold jobs where health insurance benefits are not provided. Today, 6 
million children and low-income families have health care because of 
this SCHIP program.
  This week, Democrats in this body introduced legislation known as the 
CHAMP Act, which would reauthorize SCHIP, preventing it from expiring 
on September 30, leaving these 6 million children without access to 
health care.
  The CHAMP Act would also extend SCHIP coverage to 5 million 
additional uninsured American kids, and ensure that States have the 
tools to reach children who are eligible for the program, but are not 
enrolled.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the CHAMP Act. By 
passing it, we will reauthorize SCHIP to protect health care benefits 
for up to 6 million children currently receiving them, and provide it 
to an additional 5 million who desperately need it.

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