Congressman Scott Praises the Approval of Peachcare
Press Release
Congressman Scott Praises the Approval of Peachcare
Washington, Sep 25 - Today, the U.S. House of Representatives considered a bipartisan, bicameral agreement to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), also known as Peachcare, for an additional five years. CHIP provides health coverage to American children whose parents do not qualify for Medicaid, but cannot afford private insurance. The $35 billion agreement struck by House and Senate negotiators will bring health coverage to approximately ten million children in need - preserving coverage for all 6.6 million children currently covered by CHIP, and reaching millions more low-income, uninsured American children in the next five years.
"Today's compromise symbolizes a strong, bipartisan commitment to taking care of America's children. It also will strengthen the Peachcare Program and give millions of children access to doctors, life-saving medications, preventative screenings and basic medical care that they would otherwise be denied. I fully support this agreement and urge President Bush to take a serious look at what America's children will gain from this agreement and reconsider his threat to veto the bill."
Below is a brief list of items outlined in the agreement, designed to specifically target the lowest-income, uninsured American children for outreach and enrollment.
* Investing $35 Billion in New Funding for CHIP
* Lowering the rate of uninsured low-income children
* Improving Access to Benefits for Children (Dental Coverage/Mental Health Parity/EPSDT)
* Prioritizing children's coverage
* Providing states with incentives to lower the rate of uninsured low income children
* Agreement Replaces CMS August 17th Letter to States
* Improving Outreach Tools to Simplify and Streamline Enrollment of Eligible Children
* Improving the Quality of Health Care for Low-Income Children
* Improving Access to Private Coverage Options
The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to pass the bill by a large margin. The Senate will take up the measure shortly and then forward it to the President for his signature into law. The current CHIP authorization expires on September 30.
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