Jack Reed: “I wish to speak particularly to the issue of SCHIP. His amendment seeks to tie the hands of the Finance Committee and…”

“I wish to speak particularly to the issue of SCHIP. His amendment seeks to tie the hands of the Finance Committee and make policy determinations on a program that has direct impact on millions of American families and children. Millions of low-income Americans receive their health care under the State Children's Health Insurance Program, SCHIP. This program is a safety net for low-income families. Rhode Island has provided extraordinary support to families working and struggling to provide health care for their children. By most estimates, the number of uninsured is going up in this country--most recently estimated at about 46 million. If we undermine the SCHIP program, those numbers will increase and particularly, obviously, in the ranks of uninsured children. SCHIP provides approximately 20,000 Rhode Islanders with health insurance coverage. My State worked hard on a bipartisan basis-- Republican Governors, Democratic Governors, and the Democratic assembly--to build a health care system for children that works.”