Orrin Hatch: “I remember it so vividly. I remember it as if it were yesterday. But it was 10 years ago that Senator Kennedy and I…”

“I remember it so vividly. I remember it as if it were yesterday. But it was 10 years ago that Senator Kennedy and I stood outside this great building, we stood on the Capitol lawn under a great oak tree, and announced final passage of the Children's Health Insurance Program legislation. History was made that day, and it has been made every day since. A true, bipartisan partnership--forged on the strength of good intentions, motivated by a simple desire to help our country's most vulnerable citizens, and nurtured in a politics-free atmosphere--led to enactment of CHIP, arguably the most significant advancement in children's health in this modern era. Ten years ago, Senator John Chafee and Senator Rockefeller, Senator Kennedy and I, began a partnership that led to the Children's Health Insurance Program. That legislation, enacted in under 5 months--to show you its potency--was founded on a very basic premise: that we needed to provide incentives to States to help them design plans to provide health insurance to the poorest of the poor families not eligible for Medicaid. Senators Rockefeller and Chafee argued for a Medicaid expansion. Senator Kennedy and I argued for a State-directed block grant. The final law was an innovative, workable blend of the two. Since that time, almost 6 million children have become insured under CHIP. They are leading healthier, more productive lives.”