Barbara Boxer: “I rise today to continue my support for the reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program--an essential…”

“I rise today to continue my support for the reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program--an essential effort to ensure the health of our Nation's children. Since the inception of this program, I have agreed with the goals of this program and strongly believe that it is necessary to meet our responsibilities and fulfill our commitment to children. Although I wholeheartedly support the compromise agreement on the reauthorization of this program, it is exactly that: a compromise. For the past 10 years, the Children's Health Insurance Program has helped provide health care for millions of children from working families that do not qualify for Medicaid, but can't afford private insurance. These are the children of working families whose companies do not offer health insurance to their employees. As the cost of health insurance rises and an increasing number of employers are unable or unwilling to provide health insurance to their employees and their families, the number of families who do not have health insurance has continued to rise. While the number of the uninsured continues to rise, the percentage of low-income children without health insurance has dropped more than one-third since the creation of the Children's Health Insurance Program. Currently the Children's Health Insurance Program provides coverage for 6.6 million children nationwide.”