Sen. Salazar Blasts President Bush’s
Veto Threat of Program to Insure Colorado’s Children
WASHINGTON-
Today, United States Senator Ken Salazar released the following statement
regarding President Bush’s SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance
Program) veto threat:
“It is unconscionable
that the President would announce a veto threat before we have even
begun to mark up the SCHIP bill in Committee. Reauthorizing SCHIP is
a no-brainer. It has become a critical resource that provides much needed
coverage to children who would otherwise go uninsured. It is our moral
and economic obligation in Washington to invest in our children’s healthcare,
as our investment today, will pay off tomorrow. We are making positive
headway in Congress to responsibly improve and expand the program, and
it is very discouraging that the President has made this threat before
we even have a final bill.”
SCHIP is a highly successful
program in Colorado. There are currently 180,000 uninsured children
living in Colorado. Under the current bill being considered in the Senate
Finance Committee, Colorado would receive $127 million for the SCHIP
Program in 2008, providing $56 million more to Colorado than last year,
which would provide thousands of additional Colorado children with access
to health care, covering over 120,000 of the state’s uninsured children.
According to statistics
from FamiliesUSA, children without health insurance are ten
times less likely to have a regular doctor; four times more likely to
delay seeking needed care; five times more likely to use the emergency
room as a regular source of care; and six times less likely to fill
a prescription because of cost.
Salazar intends to offer
several amendments to the SCHIP bill being considered in the Senate
Finance Committee during its markup later tonight.
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