Eshoo Statement on Reauthorization of CHIP & Community Health Centers Funding

Statement

Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA) released the following statement today after the passage of the reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program and Community Health Centers in the House of Representatives:

"The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Community Health Centers have consistently been popular bipartisan programs. These programs fund healthcare for millions of children in our country and provide resources to Community Health Centers in our Congressional District, including the Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI) Health Center in San Jose; the Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley; Planned Parenthood Mar Monte; and the Ravenswood Health Center on the border of my Congressional District in East Palo Alto.

"Instead of reauthorizing these programs on a bipartisan basis, the package from Republicans offered a false choice- -- in order to provide health care for some, Congress cut health care for others. The plan extends funding for CHIP and Community Health Centers by cutting millions from the Prevention and Public Health Fund, including vaccination programs, infectious disease prevention and chronic disease prevention.

"The package also pays for these critical programs by raising premiums for Medicare beneficiaries and kicking individuals who purchase their health coverage on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces off their insurance if they fail to pay their premiums on time. This could cause up to 688,000 Americans to lose their health insurance.

"We're reauthorizing CHIP and CHCs after they've already expired and funding them by taking away from equally needed programs. We're a month late and many dollars shifted elsewhere. These pay-fors are unacceptable and for these reasons, I voted NO on this bill."

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