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Dear Advocates:This
week, Congress is planning to vote on bills to expand children's health carethrough a new reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program(SCHIP). While it is necessary for Congress to reauthorize SCHIP before currentfunding expires in March 2009, it is imperative that Congress passes a 2009 SCHIPbill that demonstrates our nation's priorities to children's access to
health careand our commitment to a fair and equitable health care
system that ensures allchildren have an opportunity to become healthy
citizens. Under current law, legal immigrant children and pregnant women must wait five yearsbefore they become eligible for federally funded Medicaid and SCHIP. Americansbelieve this waiting period is wrong and want it eliminated. Congress can
addressthis inequity by including the Legal Immigrant Children's
Health Improvement Act(ICHIA) in the 2009 SCHIP reauthorization bill.
Moreover, in these difficulteconomic times, Congress should
be finding ways to help America's working familiesand states
with tight budgets. ICHIA would provide fiscal relief to families aswell as states and would be a key component of a strong health reform foundation. Congress needs to pass ICHIA now, and demonstrate its commitment to children and
ahealth care system that works for all Americans. Action Needed:As of today, the Senate Finance Committee plans to send SCHIP to the full Senate onThursday without ICHIA. Please immediately contact the following
Finance Committeemembers. Tell these Senate Finance
Committee Members that the Senate's SCHIP billMUST INCLUDE ICHIA.
Senate Finance Committee Members Members who have been supportive
in the past but have not confirmed support this year:Max Baucus (D-MT),
ChairKent Conrad (D-ND)Ron Wyden (D-OR)Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) Member's current position on
ICHIA is unknown:Charles Grassley (R-IA), Ranking MemberKen Salazar (D-CO)Orrin
Hatch (R-UT)Pat Roberts (R-KS)Jon Kyl (R-AZ)Jim Bunning (R-KY)Mike Crapo (R-ID)John
Ensign (R-NV) For contact information for Senate Finance Members, please go to the website linkbelow, scroll down, click on the member, call their office, and ask to speak to theHEALTH staff. http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/committees.tt?commid=sfina Tell
them:“No one should live in fear that because they
lack health coverage, oneaccident or illness could
threaten their family's economic security. Accessto affordable, quality health care is a widely-shared goal. Good health care isessential to workers' productivity and the opportunity for children to realizetheir full potential. Given the crucial role that medical coverage plays indetermining health and well-being, all children should have access tocoverage.” Finally, there are two letters,
one concerning immigration and one from Katherine Ward calling for applications for projects to combat Human Trafficking.
I will try to post these letters on our website. Thank you for your advocacy,Sr. Gayle Lwanga
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