Congressman Franks Calls on Congress to Support Health Care for Underprivileged Children
Press Release
Co-sponsors Clean SCHIP Extension to Continue Health Care Coverage for 6.6 Million Children
Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02) today co-sponsored H.R. 3584, the SCHIP Extension Act of 2007, a bill introduced as an alternative to the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act, H.R. 976, which has received a veto threat from President Bush and would substantially extend the current SCHIP program beyond its intended scope by extending eligibility to adults, illegal immigrants, families far above poverty level, and children who already receive private sector insurance. The SCHIP Extension Act would therefore continue funding the SCHIP program at its current levels to prevent a lapse of coverage when the program expires on September 30, 2007.
"It is unthinkable that Democrats would jeopardize the health care of 6.6 million needy children for the sake of political posturing." Franks stated. "H.R. 976, the version of SCHIP that I opposed, takes a giant stride towards socialized healthcare and completely ignores the purpose for which this program was created, which is to provide for the most vulnerable in our society, underprivileged children. Instead, Democrats have chosen to put forth a bill that expands the program by at least $35 billion and extends coverage to adults, illegal immigrants, and higher-income families already receiving health care in the private sector, all of which strip resources from those who need it most and for whom the program was intended.
"For that reason, I have cosponsored a clean, temporary extension of the current SCHIP program to ensure that the neediest children in our society are not endangered by the partisan games of Washington bureaucrats. There are few things more noble than providing for the protection of the innocent and weak in our society, and as Members of Congress, to not do so for political objectives would be a complete abrogation of our duty to the American people who elected us and, more importantly, to the underprivileged children at risk."
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