Frank Pallone: “Madam Speaker, we have been working to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program for the past 2 years. In the…”

“Madam Speaker, we have been working to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program for the past 2 years. In the last Congress, we passed legislation that enjoyed bipartisan support in both the House and Senate as well as the support of the American people. Unfortunately, it did not enjoy the support of the President, who vetoed our bill not once, but twice, and went on to proclaim that uninsured children can simply go to the emergency room to have their medical needs met. But this is a new day in Washington. Soon we will have a new President who has committed himself to reforming our Nation's health care system so every American can access affordable and quality health care. The bill we are considering today makes a down payment on that promise by putting the health and well-being of our children first. Madam Speaker, this bill will make critical improvements to CHIP. There will be more resources for States to enroll eligible children. There will be better benefits. As a result, there will be 11 million children who will have access to the quality health coverage they need and deserve.”