1. National: President Obama Signs CHIP Expansion The law extends health insurance to an additional 4 million uninsured children and youths and maintains coverage for nearly 7 million more. Here are the President's remarks: Today, with one of the first bills I sign--reauthorizing the Children's Health Insurance Program--we fulfill one of the highest responsibilities we have: to ensure the health and well-being of our nation's children. It is a responsibility that has only grown more urgent as our economic crisis has deepened, health care costs have exploded, and millions of working families are unable to afford health insurance. Today in America, eight million children are still uninsured--more than 45 million Americans altogether. It's hard to overstate the toll this takes on our families: the sleepless nights worrying that someone's going to get hurt, or praying that a sick child gets better on her own. The decisions that no parent should ever have to make--how long to put off that doctor's appointment, whether to fill that prescription, whether to let a child play outside, knowing that all it takes is one accident, one injury, to send your family into financial ruin. The families joining us today know these realities firsthand. When Gregory Secrest, from Martinsville, Virginia lost his job back in August, his kids lost their health care. When he broke the news to his family, his nine year-old son handed over his piggy bank with $4 in it, and told him, "Daddy, if you need it, you take it." This is not who we are. We are not a nation that leaves struggling families to fend for themselves. No child in America should be receiving her primary care in the emergency room in the middle of the night. No child should be falling behind at school because he can't hear the teacher or see the blackboard. I refuse to accept that millions of our kids fail to reach their full potential because we fail to meet their basic needs. That is why we have passed this legislation to continue coverage for seven million children, cover an additional four million children in need, and finally lift the ban on states providing insurance to legal immigrant children if they choose to do so. Since it was created more than ten years ago, the Children's Health Insurance Program has been a lifeline for millions of kids whose parents work full time, and don't qualify for Medicaid, but through no fault of their own don't have--and can't afford--private insurance. For millions of kids who fall into that gap, CHIP has provided care when they're sick and preventative services to help them stay well. This legislation will allow us to continue and build on these successes. But this bill is only a first step. The way I see it, providing coverage to 11 million children through CHIP is a down payment on my commitment to cover every single American. And it is just one component of a much broader effort to finally bring our health care system into the twenty-first century. No plan is perfect, and we should work to make it stronger. But let's not make the perfect the enemy of the essential. Let's show people all over our country who are looking for leadership in this difficult time that we are equal to the task. Let's give America's families the support they need to weather this crisis. In the end, that's really all that folks like the Secrests are looking for--the chance to work hard, and to have that hard work translate into a good life for their kids. I'm pleased to report that their story had a happy ending--it turned out that Gregory's two sons were eligible for CHIP, and they are now fully covered, much to his relief. I think Gregory put it best when he said: "Kids look at us and think 'they'll take care of us.' That is our job--to keep them safe and healthy." That's what I think about when I tuck my own girls into bed each night. That is what I want for every child--and every family--in this nation. That's why it is so important that Congress passes our recovery plan--so we can get to work rebuilding America's health care system. It won't be easy--and it won't happen all at once. But the bill I sign today is a critical first step. So I want to thank all the state and local officials, advocates and ordinary citizens across America who've fought so hard to pass it. I want to thank all the members of Congress who have worked so tirelessly, for so long, so that we could see this day. And I want you all to know that I am confident that if we come together, and work together, we can finally achieve what generations of Americans have fought for and fulfill the promise of health care in our time. Thank you. 2. Texas: Children, Taxpayers Pay Price for State's $958 Million Blunder One in five children in Texas is not covered by health insurance and that can have repercussions beyond just their health. "It's hard to learn if you're not healthy," said Mayor Bill White. "You don't have the same kind of social interaction unless you're healthy." White, the Greater Houston Partnership and state and local leaders are trying to address the problem. "The cost of uninsured children is huge on Texas business and on our economy here in Texas," said Dan Bellow with the Greater Houston Partnership. "We are paying for it today, but we are paying for it in the most expensive way." In fact, about 13 percent of what you pay in health insurance premiums goes to treating the uninsured "By federal law, they must be treated in any emergency room that they show up in and those emergency rooms don't absorb that cost," said Lan Bentsen with the Greater Houston Partnership. "They pass it through into the cost structure. It's then reflected in your health insurance premiums." Texas has two health insurance programs for children--Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). "We have these folks on six-month renewals, which means they must come up with more paperwork every six months," explained Bentsen. "It's not a very user-friendly system." Last year, Texas lost out on $958 million dollars in federal matching funds for the two health programs because the state wasn't contributing enough. "The federal government will pick up 72 percent of the cost," Bentsen said. "We must get our state government to put up the 28 percent. That's what has to happen." That could help the nearly 1.5 million uninsured children in Texas stay healthy, while saving taxpayers money. [Leticia Juarez, KHOU.com, 03/06/09] 3. Montana: Kids' Health Isn't a Bargaining Chip It's not often that state and federal changes align for the immediate benefit of Montana children as they did in the November 4 elections. Seventy percent of Montana voters supported the Healthy Montana Kids initiative. On the national level, a strong supporter of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was elected president. The reauthorization of CHIP, which provides health coverage to about 6 million American children through state-federal partnerships, was one of the first accomplishments of President Barack Obama's administration. Montana Sen. Max Baucus was a chief author of the children's legislation, which was supported by Sen. Jon Tester and Rep. Denny Rehberg. By the time Baucus arrived in Billings last week to celebrate with other CHIP champions, the extension of health insurance to more Montana children had hit an unexpected obstacle. The four Republican state legislators on the health and human services appropriations subcommittee voted against funding the program voters established. The four Democrats on the committee favored funding, so the measure failed on a tie vote. Surrounded by Billings health care professionals, children's advocates and a toddler whose cancer care is being covered by Montana CHIP, Baucus said he hopes state lawmakers will carry out the program approved by Montana voters. Ninety-three percent of the 17,000 children now covered by Montana CHIP have at least one working parent. Providing these families opportunity to insure their children is a matter of fairness. These working parents pay a tax on every dollar they earn to help fund Medicare hospital insurance for elderly and disabled adults. Shouldn't workers' children have access to health insurance, too? Without CHIP or Medicaid coverage, families often delay or forego care for their children. When families seek care and can't pay, costs are shifted to Montanans who do pay for insurance and care. An analysis last year by University of Montana economist Steve Seninger determined that covering children with CHIP would result in a net gain for Montana of $1,156 per child per year. Simply covering children's care upfront would reduce the cost shift to other Montanans at an amount nearly triple what it would cost state government to cover a child. The Legislature has authority to appropriate money, and a majority of lawmakers could refuse to fund Healthy Montana Kids. However, the Legislature couldn't spend Healthy Montana Kids money on anything else unless it first repealed the law the people enacted on Nov. 4, according to Greg Petesch, the Legislature's chief attorney. Such a repeal would be an affront to Montana voters. Sure, things have changed since November. That's when Montanans elected 125 of our 150 lawmakers. Should we immediately reconsider all those choices too? That would be as ridiculous as saying that the voters' Healthy Montana Kids decision should be blocked, delayed or rescinded. Without Healthy Montana Kids, Montana would continue to have the lowest CHIP income eligibility limit of any state but North Dakota and only the minimum children's Medicaid eligibility. Healthy Montana Kids would raise those thresholds to be more in line with what other states are doing for their children. Healthy Montana Kids recognizes that even middle-income families--especially those who are self-employed or working for small businesses--may not have means to pay the full cost of health insurance for their children. We call on all Montana lawmakers to be CHIP champions. Support the Healthy Montana Kids funding as proposed by Gov. Brian Schweitzer's executive budget. Don't balance the state's finances by leaving 30,000 Montana children without health coverage. [The Billings Gazette, 02/25/09]