October 9, 2007

 

 

 

Dear [              ],

 

Thank you for contacting me about the State Children Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Healthy Kids New Hampshire. I appreciate your active participation in our legislative process. As your Representative in Washington, I am working hard to listen to and promote the ideas of the people of New Hampshire. Your involvement makes democracy work better helping me more effectively represent you.

 

I proudly voted for the State Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization of 2007 on September 25, 2007. The bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 265 to 159. The Senate passed the SCHIP reauthorization on September 27, 2007 by a vote of 67 to 29.

 

Covering America's children should be the first step to a lasting solution for the uninsured. It only costs the Federal Government $3.34 a day to provide coverage for a child through the SCHIP program, about the cost of a cup of coffee at Starbucks. Insuring our children is an inherently affordable goal.

 

This year, the reauthorization of the SCHIP program provides a historic opportunity to move forward with children's health. There are three main aspects of the SCHIP reauthorization. First, protect the coverage of the six million children who today receive coverage through SCHIP. This means protecting New Hampshire's law that offers health coverage for kids in families at 300% of the federal poverty line and under. Second, the SCHIP reauthorization would improve outreach tools to simplify and streamline the enrollment of SCHIP eligible children. Thirdly, the SCHIP reauthorization would improve and expand access to benefits like dental coverage and mental health services for our children.

 

The SCHIP reauthorization would invest $35 billion in new funding to ensure that all American children have a doctor. In New Hampshire, this would translate into maintaining health insurance for 11,892 children and expanding health insurance eligibility to an additional 8,720 uninsured children.

 

The President has just to vetoed the SCHIP reauthorization that is both bipartisan and bicameral. I am disappointed that the President did not put partisan politics aside and sign into law this bill that puts kids first. I will monitor the progress of this legislation closely and look forward to its becoming law.

 

Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with me. If you would like information on this or any other issue, visit my website at http://hodes.house.gov. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future to express your views or if I can be of help on any matter.

 

 

Sincerely,

Paul Hodes

Member of Congress