Political Quotes

“I rise once again in strong support of the State Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (also known as SCHIP). I commend the Senate for acting so promptly on the measure and the leadership of this House for bringing it to the floor for its final vote. One of the biggest moral failures of our nation is the fact that we allow nine million children to go without health insurance every day in the United States. This is unacceptable. Our children are the future of this great nation--a future that is compromised every day we let a single child go without health care. Since its inception, SCHIP has successfully filled the gap between those families qualifying for Medicaid and those who can afford private health insurance. In these times of economic hardship, SCHIP creates a fundamentally important safety net, providing health coverage for seven million low-income children; 345,000 children in Illinois. The legislation before us today reauthorizes the SCHIP program through Fiscal Year 2013, enabling states to maintain their current programs and extend them to an additional 4 million children. SCHIP is the first critical step to improving health coverage across the nation. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on H.R. 2 and finally send it to the President's desk.”