Crowley Hails Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act

Press Release

CROWLEY HAILS CHILDREN'S HEALTH AND MEDICARE PROTECTION ACT

The House Committee on Ways and Means, of which US Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-Queens & the Bronx) is a member, passed legislation to ensure millions of children receive needed health care and to protect Medicare for America's seniors. Specifically, the Children's Health and Medicare Protection (CHAMP) Act would reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program for five years and strengthen Medicare for seniors and people with disabilities.

"Providing our children with access to medical care is one of the most-effective, worthwhile investments we can make as a nation," Crowley said. "This legislation takes an important step towards providing all New York children with affordable health care by maintaining coverage for the 400,000 children currently enrolled in New York's Children's Health Insurance Program and providing additional support to the state so enrollment can be expanded."

The CHAMP Act also includes Rep. Crowley's proposal to cap prescription drug co-payments for low-income seniors struggling to pay for life-saving medications. Specifically, the provision puts a 2.5 percent annual cap on out-of-pocket expenses seniors incur under the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit.

Congressman Crowley stated, "Low-income seniors having trouble paying for their medications should not have to make the choice between buying dinner and taking care of their health needs. I am proud Chairman Rangel and my colleagues on the committee accepted included my proposal to bring down the costs of life-saving drugs for low-income seniors by capping their out-of-pocket costs."

Additional key provisions in the legislation include: • Reauthorizes the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and provides millions more low-income children with health coverage.
• Ensures seniors continue to have access to the doctors of their choice by stopping a 10% cut in Medicare payments to doctors.
• Encourages seniors to seek preventive health benefits by eliminating co-payments and deductibles.
• Protects low-income seniors by expanding and improving programs to ensure Medicare remains affordable for those with lower incomes.
• Shores up Medicare's finances by extending the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund by two years.

To help offset the $50 billion over five years that will be needed to fund the federal State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), the legislation would implement an increase in the federal tobacco tax akin to a similar measure passed at SCHIP's inception in 1997. It is estimated that the proposed cigarette tax increase of 45 cents per package would provide $32 billion - revenue that will be used to fund reauthorization of SCHIP.

Congressman Crowley added, "This fiscally-responsible plan will improve access to health care for millions of children and seniors. I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact it into law."

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