Jill A. Hanken, Staff Attorney, Virginia Poverty Law Center sent the following information:
The House failed to override the President’s veto of the SCHIP bill on a 273 to 156 vote. With 429 members voting, the override needed 286 votes – so they needed 13 more votes.
The Virginia votes stayed the same:
Voting for the bill and the veto override: Bobby Scott, Rick Boucher, Jim Moran, Tom Davis and Frank Wolf
Voting against the bill – Eric Cantor, Bob Goodlatte, Virgil Goode, Thelma Drake, Randy Forbes
Please express your thanks and disappointment, as appropriate!
Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to hold a news conference later today. I understand there will still be a push to insure 10 million uninsured children (6 million already on SCHIP, and add 4 million more). Discussions about details and new compromises should begin soon.
Showing posts with label SCHIP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SCHIP. Show all posts
Friday, October 19, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
Sign Letter to Congress for Children's Health and Human Needs by Oct. 15!
Sign Letter to Congress for Children's Health and Human Needs by Oct. 15!
If you represent a statewide or local VA group*: Please tell your Members of Congress to cover uninsured children and to fund human needs.
The President has vetoed the children's health insurance bill and has threatened to veto appropriations bills that fund critical human needs programs. The House will vote to override the President's State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) veto on October 18.
Please sign your organization's name to this letter by Monday, October 15 - to show your Congressional delegation how important it is that they
- vote to override the President's children's health veto;
- vote for vital health, education, nutrition, housing, and other social services programs and reject appropriations vetoes.
Click here to read the letter, to sign it, and/or to get more information:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/125/t/3748/event/index.jsp?event_KEY=31692
If you represent a statewide or local VA group*: Please tell your Members of Congress to cover uninsured children and to fund human needs.
The President has vetoed the children's health insurance bill and has threatened to veto appropriations bills that fund critical human needs programs. The House will vote to override the President's State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) veto on October 18.
Please sign your organization's name to this letter by Monday, October 15 - to show your Congressional delegation how important it is that they
- vote to override the President's children's health veto;
- vote for vital health, education, nutrition, housing, and other social services programs and reject appropriations vetoes.
Click here to read the letter, to sign it, and/or to get more information:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/125/t/3748/event/index.jsp?event_KEY=31692
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
New Reports from the Urban Institute Focus on SCHIP
Series of Briefs Offer Timely Analyses on Coverage Issues
The Urban Institute will be conducting research and releasing several reports over the next few months on key issues related to health insurance coverage in the United States. The two latest briefs focus on the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
-- Concerns About Parents Dropping Employer Coverage to Enroll in
SCHIP Overlook Issues of Affordability
-- Eligible But Not Enrolled: How SCHIP Reauthorization Can Help
The Urban Institute will be conducting research and releasing several reports over the next few months on key issues related to health insurance coverage in the United States. The two latest briefs focus on the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
-- Concerns About Parents Dropping Employer Coverage to Enroll in
SCHIP Overlook Issues of Affordability
-- Eligible But Not Enrolled: How SCHIP Reauthorization Can Help
Monday, August 27, 2007
New CINCH Staff: Penny Smith, Child Health Insurance Outreach Coordinator
Please welcome Penny Smith, who starts today as the new Child Health Insurance (Project Connect) Program Outreach Coordinator. Penny brings to our team experience as a county youth outreach and program coordinator with Washing ton State University, Michigan State University and the University of Idaho. She has earned her Practical nursing license in 2006 in Virginia and has been working as an LPN in Norfolk. As a former classroom teacher and Teacher's Trainer with the U. S. Peace Corps, Penny has long recognized the need for comprehensive health care as the essential element in both physical and emotional development of our children. Penny has extensive experience developing, implementing, and evaluating community programming that will be an asset to CINCH’s Project Connect.
We are very excited to have Penny join our team and Project Connect Program. I’m sure that all of our partners will enjoy her easy manner and passion for children’s health. Please take a moment to welcome Penny to CINCH. You can contact Penny at SmithPE@evms.edu or 668-6447.
We are very excited to have Penny join our team and Project Connect Program. I’m sure that all of our partners will enjoy her easy manner and passion for children’s health. Please take a moment to welcome Penny to CINCH. You can contact Penny at SmithPE@evms.edu or 668-6447.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Impact of Medicaid Citizenship and Identity Requirements
We thought our members might be interested in the follow information and links to reports:
SUBJECT: Impact of Medicaid Citizenship and Identity Requirements
The following acronyms are used in this broadcast:
DMAS –Department of Medical Assistance Services
LDSS – Local Departments of Social Services
One year after the implementation of the federal Medicaid rule requiring documentation of United States citizenship and identification as a requirement for Medicaid eligibility, it appears that the rule has had the unintended consequence of creating barriers to Medicaid enrollment for eligible United States citizens. Proponents of the citizenship and identity requirement had originally believed that these requirements would prevent or limit non-citizens of the United States from accessing public financial assistance for medical services.
Reports from the states as well as the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO) indicate that Medicaid enrollment has declined dramatically nationwide due to the requirement, as apparently eligible individuals continue to experience difficulties securing needed documentation. In addition, many states that had initiated simplified Medicaid enrollment processes, such as encouraging the use of mail-in applications, find that these simplification procedures are no longer as effective. The requirement to provide original documentation of citizenship and identity has led to a significant increase in the numbers of individuals making apersonal visit to their local departments of social services.
The Department of Medical Assistance Services recently attributed a decrease in the enrollment of children in Virginia’s FAMIS PLUS and SCHIP Medicaid Expansion to the citizenship and identity requirements. Between July 1, 2006 (the implementation date of the new documentation requirements) and June 30, 2007, the program experienced a net reduction of 9,527 children. Enrollment of children in FAMIS, which is not currently impacted by the citizenship and identity requirements, is reported to have increased by 3,818 children during that same time period.
The Virginia Health Care Foundation (VHCF) has published a report on the impact of these new requirements entitled, “Unintended Consequences: The Impact of New Medicaid Citizenship Documentation Requirements on Virginia’s Children.” Parents surveyed for the report cited an approximate four month delay in obtaining Medicaid benefits for their children due to the barriers created by the citizenship and identity requirements. Parents also reported increased use of hospital emergency rooms for their children’s health care during that time. A survey taken by VHCF of parents who had applied for Medicaid for their children reported that 65% of noninsured children with a pending Medicaid application had some type of health care need that required medical attention while waiting to be enrolled in Medicaid.
The VHCF Report and the GAO Report can be found at the following websites:
http://www.vhcf.org/ and http://www.gao.gov/, respectively.
You can help by relaying the impact of the citizenship and identity requirements and can be an important resource to their local governing bodies and public officials as dialogue continues within Virginia communities regarding individuals’ access to government services. We encourage you to share this information with your local government officials.
SUBJECT: Impact of Medicaid Citizenship and Identity Requirements
The following acronyms are used in this broadcast:
DMAS –Department of Medical Assistance Services
LDSS – Local Departments of Social Services
One year after the implementation of the federal Medicaid rule requiring documentation of United States citizenship and identification as a requirement for Medicaid eligibility, it appears that the rule has had the unintended consequence of creating barriers to Medicaid enrollment for eligible United States citizens. Proponents of the citizenship and identity requirement had originally believed that these requirements would prevent or limit non-citizens of the United States from accessing public financial assistance for medical services.
Reports from the states as well as the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO) indicate that Medicaid enrollment has declined dramatically nationwide due to the requirement, as apparently eligible individuals continue to experience difficulties securing needed documentation. In addition, many states that had initiated simplified Medicaid enrollment processes, such as encouraging the use of mail-in applications, find that these simplification procedures are no longer as effective. The requirement to provide original documentation of citizenship and identity has led to a significant increase in the numbers of individuals making apersonal visit to their local departments of social services.
The Department of Medical Assistance Services recently attributed a decrease in the enrollment of children in Virginia’s FAMIS PLUS and SCHIP Medicaid Expansion to the citizenship and identity requirements. Between July 1, 2006 (the implementation date of the new documentation requirements) and June 30, 2007, the program experienced a net reduction of 9,527 children. Enrollment of children in FAMIS, which is not currently impacted by the citizenship and identity requirements, is reported to have increased by 3,818 children during that same time period.
The Virginia Health Care Foundation (VHCF) has published a report on the impact of these new requirements entitled, “Unintended Consequences: The Impact of New Medicaid Citizenship Documentation Requirements on Virginia’s Children.” Parents surveyed for the report cited an approximate four month delay in obtaining Medicaid benefits for their children due to the barriers created by the citizenship and identity requirements. Parents also reported increased use of hospital emergency rooms for their children’s health care during that time. A survey taken by VHCF of parents who had applied for Medicaid for their children reported that 65% of noninsured children with a pending Medicaid application had some type of health care need that required medical attention while waiting to be enrolled in Medicaid.
The VHCF Report and the GAO Report can be found at the following websites:
http://www.vhcf.org/ and http://www.gao.gov/, respectively.
You can help by relaying the impact of the citizenship and identity requirements and can be an important resource to their local governing bodies and public officials as dialogue continues within Virginia communities regarding individuals’ access to government services. We encourage you to share this information with your local government officials.
Opinion Poll: Nine in 10 Voters Want SCHIP Reauthorized
Opinion Poll: Nine in 10 Voters Want SCHIP Reauthorized
Poll Measures Public Perceptions of the State Children's Health Insurance ProgramA new poll released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation shows that Americans overwhelmingly support the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which provides states with federal funds to design health insurance programs for vulnerable children.
In this national survey conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, nearly nine in 10 voters say they support reauthorizing SCHIP. In addition, a clear majority of survey participants support expanding the program's budget by an additional $35 billion over five years.
Read the news release.
View the full report.
From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation email alert on: Health Insurance Coverage.
Poll Measures Public Perceptions of the State Children's Health Insurance ProgramA new poll released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation shows that Americans overwhelmingly support the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which provides states with federal funds to design health insurance programs for vulnerable children.
In this national survey conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, nearly nine in 10 voters say they support reauthorizing SCHIP. In addition, a clear majority of survey participants support expanding the program's budget by an additional $35 billion over five years.
Read the news release.
View the full report.
From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation email alert on: Health Insurance Coverage.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
CINCH ADVOCACY ACTION ALERT: SCHIP Reauthorization
Say YES to children!
Key recess messages
(1) As our children head back to school, Congress must help
make sure that young people have the health coverage they need
to succeed. Congress can do this by passing a strong $50 billion
SCHIP reauthorization. Six million children rely on SCHIP and
another five million uninsured low-income children would be
covered by new funding. These are God’s children – they need
our support.
(2) As people of faith, we will not tolerate politicians playing
politics with our children. We are all judged by how we treat the
least among us, especially innocent children. SCHIP has been a
great success with strong bi-partisan support since it began. The
faith community expects Congress and the President to say YES
to covering our children before SCHIP ends on September 30.
Responses to false and misleading claims
They say: The House bill cuts Medicare benefits for seniors to fund children’s health
We say: The House bill strengthens Medicare by reducing overpayments to insurance
companies, which is why it is supported by the AARP, the nation’s leading advocate for
seniors, and many other seniors’ organizations throughout the country. The House bill
eliminates windfalls to insurance companies while significantly improving the program
for all participants, a win-win for America’s children and seniors.
They say: The House bill expands health coverage to children in families earning $80,000.
We say: The bill sends needed funds to states to cover 5 million low-income children.
As private insurance has gotten more expensive, one state with high costs (New York)
offers subsidized coverage to uninsured children in higher income families. The
real story is that more than 9 of 10 children in SCHIP are in low-income families
earning less than $41,000, for a family of four.
They say: The bill allows illegal aliens to get government-funded health care.
We say: This is quite simply a false and misleading claim. Undocumented immigrants
are not eligible for insurance benefits under SCHIP or Medicaid. Neither the House nor
Senate bill changes this policy.
The House bill gives states the option to provide coverage to legally documented
immigrant children, a change that is widely supported by local and state officials
from both parties. The House and Senate bills give states more flexibility in how
they determine citizenship. This fixes a problem that has kept tens of thousands
of U.S. citizens from obtaining coverage. This change removes a barrier to
eligible children, but does not open SCHIP or Medicaid to undocumented children.
They say: This is a vast expansion of government health care, paving the way to
socialized medicine.
We say: This is about living up to our commitment to this nation’s children and
reducing the number of uninsured children from 9 million to 4 million – something
we can all be proud of. Families understand that it is getting harder to obtain
affordable coverage for their children. SCHIP has worked successfully
over the past ten years to reduce the number of uninsured children by
one-third without disrupting the health care system. SCHIP covers
children who would otherwise be uninsured and it is administered
through private insurance contractors, not government agencies. It
has had bi-partisan support since it was created.
They say: An increase in the federal tobacco tax hurts low-income people
We say: Tobacco taxes are a proven deterrent to youth smoking.
Raising the federal tobacco tax will save the lives of tens of thousands
of people, while saving all of us billions of dollars in unneeded medical
costs. Congress relied on tobacco tax revenue to create SCHIP in
1997 and should use it again to strengthen the program.
For more information visit www.coverallchildren.org
Key recess messages
(1) As our children head back to school, Congress must help
make sure that young people have the health coverage they need
to succeed. Congress can do this by passing a strong $50 billion
SCHIP reauthorization. Six million children rely on SCHIP and
another five million uninsured low-income children would be
covered by new funding. These are God’s children – they need
our support.
(2) As people of faith, we will not tolerate politicians playing
politics with our children. We are all judged by how we treat the
least among us, especially innocent children. SCHIP has been a
great success with strong bi-partisan support since it began. The
faith community expects Congress and the President to say YES
to covering our children before SCHIP ends on September 30.
Responses to false and misleading claims
They say: The House bill cuts Medicare benefits for seniors to fund children’s health
We say: The House bill strengthens Medicare by reducing overpayments to insurance
companies, which is why it is supported by the AARP, the nation’s leading advocate for
seniors, and many other seniors’ organizations throughout the country. The House bill
eliminates windfalls to insurance companies while significantly improving the program
for all participants, a win-win for America’s children and seniors.
They say: The House bill expands health coverage to children in families earning $80,000.
We say: The bill sends needed funds to states to cover 5 million low-income children.
As private insurance has gotten more expensive, one state with high costs (New York)
offers subsidized coverage to uninsured children in higher income families. The
real story is that more than 9 of 10 children in SCHIP are in low-income families
earning less than $41,000, for a family of four.
They say: The bill allows illegal aliens to get government-funded health care.
We say: This is quite simply a false and misleading claim. Undocumented immigrants
are not eligible for insurance benefits under SCHIP or Medicaid. Neither the House nor
Senate bill changes this policy.
The House bill gives states the option to provide coverage to legally documented
immigrant children, a change that is widely supported by local and state officials
from both parties. The House and Senate bills give states more flexibility in how
they determine citizenship. This fixes a problem that has kept tens of thousands
of U.S. citizens from obtaining coverage. This change removes a barrier to
eligible children, but does not open SCHIP or Medicaid to undocumented children.
They say: This is a vast expansion of government health care, paving the way to
socialized medicine.
We say: This is about living up to our commitment to this nation’s children and
reducing the number of uninsured children from 9 million to 4 million – something
we can all be proud of. Families understand that it is getting harder to obtain
affordable coverage for their children. SCHIP has worked successfully
over the past ten years to reduce the number of uninsured children by
one-third without disrupting the health care system. SCHIP covers
children who would otherwise be uninsured and it is administered
through private insurance contractors, not government agencies. It
has had bi-partisan support since it was created.
They say: An increase in the federal tobacco tax hurts low-income people
We say: Tobacco taxes are a proven deterrent to youth smoking.
Raising the federal tobacco tax will save the lives of tens of thousands
of people, while saving all of us billions of dollars in unneeded medical
costs. Congress relied on tobacco tax revenue to create SCHIP in
1997 and should use it again to strengthen the program.
For more information visit www.coverallchildren.org
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