Bart Stupak: “I want to congratulate Mr. Dingell and Mr. Pallone on crafting a well-balanced bill and for all of the hard work you and…”

“I want to congratulate Mr. Dingell and Mr. Pallone on crafting a well-balanced bill and for all of the hard work you and your staff have spent on the CHAMP Act. The State Children's Health Initiative Program was enacted with bipartisan support a decade ago to reduce the number of low-income, uninsured children by expanding eligibility levels and simplifying application procedures. In 2006, SCHIP provided insurance to 6.7 million children. In Michigan, roughly 118,000 children are enrolled in SCHIP. Eighty-six percent of these SCHIP children are of working parents who are unable to afford private health insurance for their children. SCHIP is vitally important to children living in our country's rural areas. Of the 50 counties with the highest rates of uninsured children, 44 are rural counties. This legislation commits $50 billion to reauthorize and improve the SCHIP program to protect and continue coverage for 6 million children. In addition, this legislation ensures coverage for an additional 5 million children that are eligible but currently uninsured. I am also very pleased to see the rural investments in the CHAMP Act which maintains Congress's commitment to rural America by extending a number of provisions that, if left to expire, would negatively affect rural beneficiaries' access to Medicare health services.”