Ben Cardin: “Today is truly an important day for America's children. On Tuesday, the House passed the Children's Health Insurance…”

“Today is truly an important day for America's children. On Tuesday, the House passed the Children's Health Insurance Bill, and very soon, the Senate will vote. We will provide $35 billion over the next 5 years to expand health insurance coverage for the children of America's working families. We know that there is a crisis in health care in this country. More than 46 million Americans don't have any health insurance coverage; 9 million of them are children, and most of them are in working families. That is a disgrace. Now there are many proposals out there to increase the number of Americans with health insurance coverage. As Congress begins to consider these proposals, there is something we can do today to decrease the number of uninsured children by nearly 4 million. Earlier this year, in February, I introduced to the Senate Finance Committee a Baltimore family that has benefited from CHIP. Craig and Kim Lee Bedford are working parents who own a small business and simply cannot afford health insurance for their 5 children through the commercial market. Through the Maryland MCHP program, the Bedford Family's 5 children receive affordable, quality health care. We have the evidence that enrollment in the CHIP program improves the health of the children who are enrolled, their families, and the communities in which they live.”