President/CEO of Children's Hospital of Richmond's LTTE on SCHIP

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/opinion/letters.html

SCHIP Helps Children Who Need Insurance

Editor, Times-Dispatch:
The editorial, "No to SCHIP-Plus," that paints the State Children's Health Insurance Program reauthorization as a handout to "rich" families certainly does not align with how most Americans feel about SCHIP.



According to a new Harris Interactive survey of nearly 2,500 adults (18 and over) for The Wall Street Journal, those who favor expansion outnumber those who oppose it by 4-1.

The Senate-House bipartisan compromise was co-authored by two of the most prominent conservative Republicans in Congress -- Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa and Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah.

The bill focused on enrolling eligible, low-income children who currently lack insurance. Nationally, more than 90 percent of children in SCHIP are under 200 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). And in case The Times-Dispatch has forgotten, 200 percent of the FPL for a family of four is $41,300 per year.

So while the paper endorsed Bush's vetoing a bill that provides health insurance to poor children who lack it, we join millions of Republicans, Democrats, and independents all across the country in continuing to advocate its passage in a veto-override vote to give children access to the health care they need.

Leslie G. Wyatt, President/CEO, Children's Hospital of Richmond. Richmond.
http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/opinion/letters.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2007-10-08-0058.html