[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Page 2498]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM

  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Madam President, I wish to speak about the 
Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP. I am joined on the floor 
today by my friend Senator Baucus, the Chairman of the Finance 
Committee, to stress the program's importance.
  Today CHIP provides health coverage to over 37,000 children in West 
Virginia and over 8 million children across the United States in 
working families who cannot afford private health insurance. These kids 
deserve a healthy start in life. They are our future leaders and 
decisionmakers. They deserve the opportunities this program provides.
  Mr. BAUCUS. I thank Senator Rockefeller for speaking today on this 
important issue. I have always admired the Senator's hard work and 
dedication to provide health coverage not just to the children of West 
Virginia but children across the United States. He has been a real 
inspiration to me and many of our colleagues.
  Back in 2007 and 2009, Senator Rockefeller and I worked together with 
fellow Democrats and Republicans to reauthorize CHIP. The legislation 
brought legislators together from both sides of the aisle because CHIP 
was not about politics, it was about helping kids. Even 10 years prior 
to that, the original legislation that created the Children's Health 
Insurance Program passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. CHIP has 
always been very popular. Bottom line is this program works. It works 
for children and it works for America.
  Unfortunately, while this program has been authorized through the 
year 2019, the funding expires next year. I believe it is critical for 
the Senate to continue to fund CHIP beyond 2015 in order to continue to 
provide essential health coverage to our lower income children and 
pregnant women. I regret I will not be here to carry on the work of 
helping these families.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. I agree with Senator Baucus. Without the funds to 
run this program, millions of children will lose health care coverage. 
Before CHIP was established in 1997, 23 percent of low-income children 
were uninsured. Today, according to the Urban Institute, that number 
has dropped to 12.8 percent. I believe that number should be zero; no 
child should be without access to the coverage they need to grow up 
healthy and happy. Thanks to this program and other sources of 
coverage, we are on our way to achieving full coverage: more than 9 out 
of 10 American children now are insured.
  Studies have shown that children enrolled in CHIP have demonstrated 
improvements in their ability to pay attention in class, school 
attendance, reading scores, and participation in school and childhood 
activities.
  Our efforts are working but we must do more. We must continue to work 
to enroll kids who are eligible but not yet covered. We must ensure 
that funding for this essential lifeline for families does not expire. 
I, too, regret I will no longer be in the Senate in 2015 to continue 
this work. That is why I hope that we can solve the problem this year, 
and I am very glad my good friend, the senior Senator from Montana, and 
I could come to the floor today to deliver this important message.

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