Catholic Health Association Disappointed by Failure to Override ...( Delay Jeopardizes Health Insuranc...),Health

Delay Jeopardizes Health Insurance For Low-Income Children

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sister Carol Keehan, DC, president and chief executive officer of the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA), issued the following statement.

The Catholic Health Association is extremely disappointed that Congress did not override the president's veto of legislation to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). As a result, health insurance for low-income children has been needlessly jeopardized. This legislation, the product of an often difficult process of bipartisan compromise, remains the best opportunity to ensure that millions of children remain covered under SCHIP and extend coverage to millions more who are eligible but not enrolled. CHA remains committed to an improved and strengthened SCHIP, and will continue to work for passage of reauthorization legislation that will provide adequate resources for the program to cover uninsured children in need of assistance.

It is tragic that the debate over this legislation has been clouded by so many false assertions and misconceptions. While we welcome the intentions of President Bush and congressional opponents of the bill to continue working for SCHIP reauthorization, we should begin those discussions by being clear and forthright about what the current legislation does and does not do. Continuing to obfuscate the issue is not the way to reach an agreement, much less the way to achieve the president's stated goal of ensuring health coverage for low-income children.