January 14, 2009

House Votes to Expand State Children’s Health Insurance Program

January 14, 2009, Washington D.C. – AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth and Families praised lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives who voted today to significantly expand coverage for low-income uninsured children through the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The legislation would reauthorize the program through 2013 and provide funding to add four million uninsured children, in addition to providing funding for states to maintain the seven million children already enrolled in SCHIP.

In a bipartisan 289-139 vote, the House approved the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, H.R. 2. A Senate committee is expected to consider the legislation tomorrow. Without action, the program is set to expire on March 31, 2009.   

“The House reaffirmed its commitment to vulnerable children by voting today to provide health insurance for four million of the nine million uninsured children in the United States,” said AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth and Families Board President Alelia Munroe. “Protecting our children is one of the most important things we can do as a society, and providing them health insurance is certainly part of that. Many low-income kids, including some with HIV/AIDS, have no health insurance, and as a result have worse health outcomes. We hope this will be the first part of a more comprehensive health reform effort.”

It is estimated that about 56,500 young people age 13-24 are living with HIV, and 7,800 young people age 13-24 in the United States have AIDS. Many are uninsured, or underinsured. Medicaid and SCHIP are the safety net for low-income vulnerable children, ensuring they have access to the health care they need. Medicaid and SCHIP are the primary sources of health coverage for women, infants and children in Part D programs of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. 

The legislation would also allow coverage to be extended to low-income pregnant mothers, improving their prenatal care, helping to determine their HIV status and further reducing perinatal mother-to-child transmission rates. The legislation encourages states to adopt new outreach and enrollment tools in both Medicaid and SCHIP to enroll eligible low-income children.      

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Founded in 1994, AACYF is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to advance the partnership between consumers and providers – we are the voice of women, children, youth and families living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.  AACYF works to enhance and expand access to quality, comprehensive, family-centered care to America’s children, youth and families affected by HIV/AIDS, as it represents the nation’s network of over 650 Ryan White Part D funded community-based organizations.  Part D programs serve over 53,000 HIV-affected women, children, youth and families through sites located in 35 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.