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                                                      PRINTER'S NO. 1401

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


SENATE RESOLUTION

No. 171 Session of 2007


        INTRODUCED BY O'PAKE, MUSTO, COSTA, FONTANA, FERLO, MELLOW,
           STACK, KITCHEN, LAVALLE, LOGAN, WOZNIAK, WASHINGTON, BOSCOLA,
           C. WILLIAMS, HUGHES AND RAFFERTY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2007

        REFERRED TO BANKING AND INSURANCE, SEPTEMBER 21, 2007

                                  A RESOLUTION

     1  Memorializing the President of the United States and the Centers
     2     for Medicare and Medicaid Services to rescind certain State
     3     Children's Health Insurance Program restrictions.

     4     WHEREAS, Pennsylvania became a model for the nation on
     5  December 2, 1992, with the enactment of the State's landmark
     6  Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to provide quality
     7  health care coverage to Pennsylvania children from families who
     8  earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough money
     9  to afford private insurance; and
    10     WHEREAS, The Federal Government followed suit in 1997 and
    11  became a partner with the states in helping to insure uninsured
    12  children with its enactment of the Federal State Children's
    13  Health Insurance Program; and
    14     WHEREAS, More than 640,000 Pennsylvania children, who
    15  otherwise would have gone without health care coverage, have
    16  been helped by CHIP since its inception in 1992; and
    17     WHEREAS, On October 23, 2006, the Pennsylvania Senate voted
    18  50 to 0 to pass legislation (HB 2699), which became Act 136 of

     1  2006, to expand Pennsylvania's Children's Health Insurance
     2  Program to continue to provide free coverage to children from
     3  families with income below 200% of the Federal poverty level, to
     4  provide subsidized coverage on a sliding scale to families
     5  earning between 200% and 300% of the Federal poverty level and
     6  to provide "at cost" CHIP coverage to families with income over
     7  300% of the Federal poverty level; and
     8     WHEREAS, Today, Pennsylvania's expanded "Cover All Kids"
     9  program, which was implemented following approval by the Federal
    10  Government, provides quality health insurance coverage to more
    11  than 164,400 Pennsylvania children; and
    12     WHEREAS, On August 17, 2007, Dennis Smith, Director of the
    13  Center for Medicaid and State Operations of the Centers for
    14  Medicare and Medicaid Services, issued a new rule to
    15  Pennsylvania and other states that would impose new restrictions
    16  on CHIP eligibility and limit the scope of Pennsylvania's "Cover
    17  All Kids" initiative; and
    18     WHEREAS, George W. Bush, the President of the United States,
    19  has threatened to veto compromise legislation emerging in
    20  Congress that would reauthorize the Federal State Children's
    21  Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and provide the states with
    22  needed Federal support to responsibly help insure more uninsured
    23  children; therefore be it
    24     RESOLVED, That the Senate of Pennsylvania does hereby
    25  memorialize the President of the United States and the Centers
    26  for Medicare and Medicaid Services to rescind the regulatory
    27  SCHIP restrictions as enunciated in the August 17, 2007, letter
    28  from Mr. Dennis Smith of the Center for Medicaid and State
    29  Operations to Pennsylvania and other states; and be it further
    30     RESOLVED, That the Senate of Pennsylvania respectfully urge
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     1  the President not to veto compromise legislation that would
     2  provide the partnership Federal support states need to expand
     3  health insurance coverage for more children; and be it further
     4     RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
     5  the Honorable George W. Bush, the President of the United
     6  States, at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20500, to
     7  the Honorable Michael O. Leavitt, the Secretary of the United
     8  States Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence
     9  Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20201, and to all of Pennsylvania's
    10  representatives in the United States Senate and the United
    11  States House of Representatives.













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