Susang1961@aol.com .

TO: NDSC Members and Affiliated Parent Groups

FROM: Susan Goodman, Director
Governmental Affairs

DATE: October 3, 2007

NDSC Parent Advocates for SCHIP Program

Background
The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) covers children in families whose income is too high for them to be eligible for http://www.cms.gov Medicaid but who have no access to insurance. It is jointly funded by federal and state governments. Within broad federal guidelines, each state determines the design of its program, who is eligibile, benefit packages, payment levels for coverage, and administrative and operating procedures. SCHIP provided a capped amount of funds to States on a matching basis for Federal fiscal years (FY) 1998 through 2007.

Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have passed a reauthorization bill for the SCHIP program since it expired on October 1, 2007. Currently it is operating under a temporary extension. This bill is designed to expand the program to cover children in families who earnings are up to 350% of the poverty level. This increase would cost around $30 billion in new funds over the next five years. Disability advocates feel this expansion is necessary to cover the many uninsured children, including children with disabilities, of working parents who cannot get health insurance through their employer.

The President has promised to veto this bill. The President has agreed to only a $5 billion increase and has promised to veto the bill as passed. According to the Congressional Research Service, many currently SCHIP insured children would lose funding under the President’s proposal. While the Senate has enough votes to override the veto, the House of Representatives does not.

Advocates Action
NDSC has supported expansion of the SCHIP program. On September 19, 2007 NDSC parent Margaret (Maggie) Demko, mother of two-year-old Emily who receives insurance coverage through the SCHIP program came to Washington, D.C. from her home in Ohio to ask representatives in the House and Senate to pass the SCHIP bill. Emily’s picture ran in “Roll Call,” a daily Capitol Hill publication that highlights issues and activities in Congress.

According to Maggie in her e-mail to NDSC,

“We were chosen by a national association of Children’s Hospitals to be a part of this ad after I spoke at a press conference with Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Governor Ted Strickland. They were impressed with my speech and with the photo of Emily, so we were essentially chosen from all across the US… . I am flying to Washington, D.C. and will meet with several Congress and Senate members to lobby for their support for SCHIP. So, please keep me in your thoughts as I race through the high flying times on Capitol Hill. It should be overwhelming, exciting, and challenging all at once!

An article about Maggie, Emily and their advocacy efforts will appear in an upcoming issue of Down Syndrome News. NDSC will continue to update its readers on the status of the SCHIP program.

NDSC Joins Advocacy Efforts for
Continued School-Based Medicaid Funding

NDSC and nearly 40 other disability organizations signed a letter urging the Senate to support provisions in the House version of the SCHIP bill stopping implementation of a rule by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that would make it more difficult for schools and early childhood providers to provide reimbursement for transportation and administrative expenses for Medicaid eligible children.

The elimination of these reimbursements would shift the financial responsibility for transportation and administrative claims back to individual school districts and early childhood providers across the nation. Many school districts and providers have relied on this funding to relieve some of its financial responsibilities.

 
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