Don't let politics shred the children's health insurance safety net
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No comments [ Add Comment ]By Rep. Jim Matheson
Guest commentary
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very parent in Utah and in this country knows that access to health care and preventive medicine for kids is the right thing to do -- morally, economically and politically. I find it shameful that partisan politics capped by a presidential veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) appears to have trumped caring for the health and well-being of millions of deserving kids.
Ten years after SCHIP became law, Congress has renewed it so as to continue health insurance to more than 6 million children SCHIP originally rescued from the ranks of the uninsured -- and help an additional 4 million eligible kids. Children, families and communities are better off when 10 million kids have access to our health care system.
What does that mean to Utah? In 2006, Utah averaged 35,000 children enrolled in the program. The state estimates that more than 30,000 additional Utah children would be helped under the bill the president vetoed. His veto also costs Utah $20 million in additional SCHIP funding. The children eligible for SCHIP are the working poor. They fall through the cracks because their parents can't get or can't afford health insurance. It is a model partnership designed to give the states maximum flexibility. Utah receives four federal dollars for each state dollar. It is dead wrong to label this as "government-run health care." SCHIP families enroll their children in private insurance plans and they contribute through co-pays and premiums.
Caring for children is always the right thing to do. But there are practical reasons for continuing this program, as well. Health coverage prevents the cost of essential health care from bankrupting individuals and families.
Take the case of 12-year-old Graeme Frost, from Baltimore. Following a car accident, he was in a coma for a week. He couldn't eat or stand up or talk. He was hospitalized for five and a half months, undergoing extensive surgery. For months afterward, he required physical therapy. He was lucky, however, because his parents had enrolled Graeme and his sister in the SCHIP program in their state. They received the medical help Graeme needed to get back to a normal life because they had health insurance.
We all know of a least one Utah family whose financial situation has been jeopardized by unexpected medical bills. Children who have health insurance -- and thus, improved access to care -- have a better quality of life.
Many studies show that insurance coverage for preventive care at the doctor's office precludes costly visits to the emergency room. They miss fewer school days and perform better academically. In addition, money spent on children's heath at the front end saves money in the long run -- money not needed for disability and loss of productivity in the workforce.
The bill the president vetoed pays for the program through a 60-cents-a-pack increase on cigarettes. That's a win-win: raising the price of cigarettes discourages kids from buying them. The revenue helps pay for health insurance for children who may suffer from -- among other things -- the ill effects of second-hand smoke. The legislation also provides for mental health and dental benefits and it provides that Utah has the option to extend SCHIP coverage to pregnant women.
The best investment we can make is in our children. A change in just 15 votes in the House when we vote -- in the next week or two -- to override this presidential veto will make things right for our kids. A bipartisan number in the Senate agrees the veto should not stand.
Overturning the president's veto means extending health insurance to many deserving Utah children who through no fault of their own otherwise face a risky and uncertain future and a compromised quality of life.
Matheson represents Utah 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
