Perriello Backs Bipartisan Bill to Provide Healthcare to Children of Working Families

Press Release

Perriello Backs Bipartisan Bill to Provide Healthcare to Children of Working Families

Tom Perriello today voted in favor of the bipartisan State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization bill, which will provide health care coverage for 11 million children (preserving coverage for the 7 million children currently covered by SCHIP and extending coverage to 4 million uninsured children who are currently eligible for, but not enrolled in, SCHIP and Medicaid). Forty Republicans voted for the bill.

"This is a great victory for the health of America's children and a positive sign of the bi-partisanship and problem-solving attitude of the new Congress. Providing health care for the most treasured and vulnerable among us - our children - isn't just good public health policy; it's morally right and economically vital. This program targets working families who are climbing their way out of poverty, who make too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford private insurance. These are the families that are doing everything right to better their lives, and they deserve to be able to provide health care to their children," said Perriello.

"Especially at a time of growing unemployment and when more Americans are losing employer-sponsored health care for their children, this bill is needed urgently for the 144,000 Virginia children currently insured by the program. As the son of a pediatrician, I'm so pleased to have the opportunity to vote in favor of this critical legislation, and in favor of children in the 5th District."

Dr. Colleen A. Kraft, Immediate Past President, Virginia Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics said: "In his first weeks as a U.S. Congressman, Tom Perriello cast an important vote for Virginia's children and families. Tom's voice in voting ‘YES' for SCHIP seals the first of his promises to help working families in our Commonwealth. Uninsured children in Virginia number 184,000, or 9.6%; most come from two parent families where one parent is working. Health care coverage for children is a ‘win' for families struggling in these tough economic times. We can count on Tom Perriello to continue as their champion."

Robin Haldiman, Executive Director of CHIP of Roanoke Valley, a home visiting program that is part of a statewide network that ensures a medical home for more than 2,700 children, states that "investing in health care for children is critical to reducing costly outcomes for which taxpayers ultimately bear the burden. 85 percent of a child's core brain structure is formed by age 3, however, less than 4 percent of public investments on education and development have occurred by that time. This investment in health insurance for children gives us one of the best returns on our dollar of any investment we can make in Virginia."

Out of concern for jobs in the 5th District related to the tobacco industry, Mr. Perriello argued for the tobacco tax in the bill to be phased in, rather than implemented at one time.

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