Legislation that would guarantee health coverage for 10 million children across the U.S, including many lawfully present immigrant children, is headed for a crucial vote in the U.S. Congress. Thanks to many of you who heeded the urgent alerts of the last few days, this legislation passed the Senate Finance Committee and will now go to the Senate Floor. The House of Representatives has already passed the bill, known as the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA).

Thank you so much for your action and support!

However, the battle isn't over! Tell Senators Boxer and Feinstein to ensure that the Senate passes the strongest SCHIP legislation possible, including removing the 5-year bar for immigrant children. Tell them we need their leadership to defeat any amendments that add barriers to children's access to health care.

They need to hear from you today! Please call the Capitol Switchboard: 1-800-828-0498

Ask for your Senator's office, and give them the following message:

ALL of our children should have access to health care.

I urge you to support the SCHIP legislation including the elimination of the five-year waiting period for immigrant children and to take leadership to strongly oppose any amendments that would add barriers to health care coverage for children. Thank you.

BACKGROUND:

It is necessary for Congress to reauthorize SCHIP before current funding expires in March 2009, and it is imperative that Congress pass a 2009 SCHIP bill that demonstrates our nation's priorities to children's access to health care and our commitment to a fair and equitable health care system that ensures all children have an opportunity to become healthy citizens.

Under current law, lawfully present immigrant children and pregnant women must wait five years before they become eligible for federally funded Medicaid and SCHIP. Americans believe this waiting period is wrong and want it eliminated.[1] The House of Representatives addressed this inequity by passing H.R. 2 on January 14, 2009, which removes the waiting period with the language from the Legal Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act (ICHIA) introduced in the previous session of Congress.[2]

[1] In a November 2008 poll, more than three out of four Americans favor ending the five-year waiting period for Medicaid and SCHIP which immigrant children and pregnant women are subjected to by law. For more information: http://www.firstfocus.net/pages/3540/New_Poll_Shows_Widespread_Support_for_Healthcare_for_Every_Child.htm

[2] For more information, go to: http://www.nilc.org/immspbs/cdev/ICHIA/index.htm