Carol Shea-Porter: “last week, House Democrats unveiled the Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act, a bill that reauthorizes CHIP…”

“last week, House Democrats unveiled the Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act, a bill that reauthorizes CHIP, ensures millions of children receive the health benefits they need, and protects Medicare for American seniors. The bill comes a week after the National Governors' Association, made up of both Democrats and Republicans, called for urgent action to reauthorize the CHIP program. Unfortunately, while strengthening CHIP has broad bipartisan support from our Nation's Governors and the U.S. Senate, the Bush administration and congressional Republicans oppose efforts to strengthen the program so it does not continually run out of money. As a professional social worker, I recognize the threat to America's children, and I must protest. Instead, they are proposing to underfund the program significantly, which would cause millions of children to lose coverage, including children in my own State of New Hampshire and States across the country. Mr. Speaker, ensuring America's children have affordable health care costs less than $3.50 a day to cover a child. House Democrats are committed to passing this cost-effective health coverage for millions of uninsured children.”