Chris Van Hollen: “I rise in strong support for the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009. This bipartisan…”

“I rise in strong support for the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009. This bipartisan legislation will improve the very successful State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The message and the substance of this bill is clear--we are going to preserve coverage for the 7 million children currently enrolled who otherwise have no access to health insurance while extending coverage to 4 million children who are from working families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but do not earn enough to afford the very high costs of private health insurance. By reauthorizing this important program through 2013, we will strengthen CHIP's financing, improve the quality of health care children receive, and increase health insurance coverage for low-income children. The Congressional Research Service projects that under this legislation, Maryland's CHIP allotment will increase by 162 percent. The bill is fully paid for by a 62 cent increase in federal excise taxes on cigarettes. Increasing the tobacco tax will save millions of children from tobacco addiction and save billions in health care costs.”