Tens of Thousands of Additional PA Kids Will Be Covered Under New Law
PHILADELPHIA, PA – Major new legislation just signed by President Obama will provide tens of thousands of Pennsylvania children access to health coverage according to three Pennsylvania members of Congress who voted for the program as it cleared Congress with strong bipartisan majorities.
At a press conference held this morning at the Samuel Paley Early Learning Center in Northeast Philadelphia, Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Reps. Allyson Schwartz and Chaka Fattah, (both D-PA) joined local healthcare and children’s advocates in highlighting how important the new Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) law is to Pennsylvania families.
In Pennsylvania, currently more than 189,000 children are covered by CHIP. Under the new law, which reauthorized and strengthened CHIP, tens of thousands of additional PA children will be able to receive health coverage.
“After two years and two Bush vetoes, we will finally provide health care coverage to more than 10.5 million American children. Thankfully, for the more than four million children and their families who will join the more than six million children currently covered, we have a new president and another example of change that has come to Washington,” said Senator Casey. “This legislation will help ensure that the parents of ten million children have one less thing to keep them up at night.”
“In these difficult economic times, families tell me what they need is stability and an opportunity to meet their responsibilities. Parents want to do the right thing and ensure that their kids have access to healthcare, but, for too many families receiving either no or few benefits, or just struggling to get by, health coverage had remained out of reach,” added Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (PA-13). “For so many Pennsylvania families that are having tough kitchen table conversations about how to pay for healthcare for their kids, we’ve just extended them a critical lifeline by strengthening and expanding CHIP.”
Congressman Chaka Fattah (PA-2) said, “We are gathered today in celebration of a healthcare milestone for children and for all Americans. President Obama’s signature on the SCHIP legislation is the first giant stride toward overhauling our healthcare and health insurance to include coverage for all. The change starts here. The change starts now.”
Local healthcare organizations and children’s advocates echoed the importance of how critical CHIP is to Pennsylvania children.
“It’s been a long haul, but it is here. We thank the leadership of Pennsylvania’s Congressional delegation and we thank President Obama for making it clear that we value our kids and their health.”
Shelly Yanoff, executive director, Philadelphia Public Citizens for Children and Youth.
“On behalf of the children and families at Federation Early Learning Services (FELS), we applaud the passage of SCHIP and send a heartfelt thank you to legislators like Representatives Schwartz and Fattah and Senator Casey who fought so hard for its passage. It will make an important difference in the lives of so many of the children that we serve.”
Maddy Malis, president & CEO, Federation Early Learning Services
"Today's generation of children face tremendous health challenges and I am concerned that without access to quality, affordable care, their lives may be threatened by - in some cases - preventable, chronic illness and disease. This important expansion of the SCHIP program will go a long way in helping them receive the care they need to stay healthy. I applaud our congressional delegation’s strong commitment to SCHIP, and was very pleased to see President Obama quickly sign the bill into law."
Steven M. Altschuler, MD, president and Chief Executive Officer of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
“Too frequently we have seen families have to choose between paying the rent and buying food rather than getting healthcare. The expansion of CHIP will have an immediate and significant impact on increasing access to care for thousands of children in Philadelphia and our state.”
Bette Begleiter, deputy executive director, Maternity Care Coalition
“As part of our commitment to improving the health of our Northeast Philadelphia community, Nazareth Hospital supports Pennsylvania’s children’s health insurance program (CHIP). This program helps families in our community ensure their kids have access to preventive health and wellness resources as well as emergency care. We applaud the President and our elected officials for recognizing the value of this program.”
Christy A. McCabe, spokeswoman, Nazareth Hospital
“At Child Care Information Services - NE (CCIS-NE) we are well aware of the many financial challenges that families balance to ensure the best for their children. Thanks to the hard work of Senator Casey and Representatives Schwartz and Fattah, the expansion of SCHIP provides much needed relief in the critical area of healthcare costs. At CCIS- NE where working families face a waiting list for help paying for child care, we know first hand the difference that SCHIP makes in families' abilities to manage the many financial pressures they are experiencing.”
Norma Finkelstein, executive director, Child Care Information Services- NE
“We are seeing more middle class families turn to us as more adults lose their jobs. We expect family budgets to become tighter resulting in families needing to make challenging decisions. As health insurance becomes prohibitively expensive, SCHIP will enable families to access affordable healthcare coverage for their children.”
Lori Warsaw, care management supervisor, Jewish Family and Children's Service
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