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Legislation & Politics | ||
Letter to the House in support of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009January 14, 2009 Dear Representative: On behalf of the 1.6 million members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), I am writing to express our support for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2009 (H.R. 2) and to urge you to vote for it. The need to reauthorize CHIP grows more urgent each day as our economy slides further into recession and more families lose health care coverage. The bill would provide coverage to four million additional children, targeting those in lowest income households. Importantly, the bill gives states the option to eliminate the waiting period for CHIP and Medicaid coverage that now applies to lawfully present immigrant children and pregnant women, restoring the principle that children and pregnant women should not have to wait five years for health care. It is critical that Congress act quickly to approve this bill to safeguard the health of 10 million children and provide states with the certainty they need to maintain their CHIP programs. |
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