Steve Kagen: “So let me review and see if I get this straight. These funds come from the Federal Government in the grant form. It's…”

“So let me review and see if I get this straight. These funds come from the Federal Government in the grant form. It's capped in this expense. It goes to every State, and every State that we have in the Union fashions their own program, whether or not they choose to cover the mother of a child. Listen, as a doctor, I have to tell you, in 30 years of practicing medicine, I have never seen a child in my examination room without the mother or a caregiver that was responsible for the children. So we, in Wisconsin, cover the parent, the mother, as well in order to increase the enrollment in this program. This reauthorization of this SCHIP program, it's primary intent is not just to retain the 3.8 million children who are covered, but to expand it to all the children in the country who are already eligible and to expand it from 200 percent of Federal poverty level up to 300 percent. So, if I understand the facts, the facts are these. It's a State-run private program. Poorest working families are the focus. It costs $3.50 a day per child to keep them covered, and we hope to cover 10.4, 10.8 million children across the country. So these are the facts as I understand them. Covers kids up to age 19; is that right? And did you hear the same argument that I heard on this floor, that it might cover illegal aliens? Is that a fact?”