Government Relations Action Alert

June 18, 2007

Urge Senators to Support the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)

ACTION NEEDED

Please contact your two Senators and urge them to provide an additional $50 billion to help cover the 9 million uninsured children in the U.S. by reauthorizing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) through the Senate Finance Committee SCHIP legislation. Visit the NASW website to e-mail your Senators. 

If you prefer to call your Senators, use the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. You may leave a short message stating that you are a constituent and social worker requesting the Senator to add $50 billion in federal spending for the SCHIP program to help address the needs of 9 million uninsured children and youth in the country.

DEADLINE

Members of the Senate Finance Committee (see below), should be contacted by June 28, 2007. For your Senators not on the Finance Committee, please contact them no later than July 13, 2007.

BACKGROUND

The nation faces a severe problem from the sheer number of children affected by the lack of health care coverage. Of the 9 million uninsured children and youth in America, more than 6 million are eligible for either SCHIP or Medicaid, but are unable to receive benefits because of limited funding. This SCHIP legislation will increase funding to the states for health insurance for the nation’s 9 million uninsured children who otherwise won’t get access to the coverage they need. This program provides funding to states for families whose income is above the poverty threshold for Medicaid, but not high enough to afford private insurance. In some states, families with incomes up to 350% of the poverty line are eligible for this program. To learn the program details in your state, check out SCHIP Reauthorization: What's at Stake in Your State?

Several Senate SCHIP bills have been introduced in recent months, but the Senate Finance Committee version, not yet introduced, will become the bill that advances to the floor, hopefully before July 4th. The Senate’s deliberations will affect millions of children in the U.S. Both of your Senators will have a crucial voice in the process, so all NASW members are urged to contact their respective Senators.

SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE MEMBERS