HHS Nominee Says Health Care Overhaul Cannot Wait
April 2, 2009 - Posted by Antoine Morris
Katherine Sebelius, nominee to be the next Secretary for Health and Human Services, expressed support for swift congressional action on health care reform during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions hearing this week.
In her testimony, Sebelius said, "I think our current economic crisis presents the inevitability that we cannot wait. I believe, as the president has articulated over and over again, that we can't fix the economy of America without fixing the health care system." She added that overhauling the nation's health care system will require containing costs while also expanding coverage to more Americans.
The number of uninsured people has grown from 45 million in 2005 to 47 million in 2006 with nearly 11 percent of all Whites uninsured compared to more than 20 percent of all African Americans and 34 percent of all Hispanics, according to the Census Bureau.
The high number of uninsured people costs the U.S. billions every year, due to lost work time as well as many uninsured people's inability to take advantage of preventative health care services that would decrease the use of costly treatments later. An Institute of Medicine study estimates these losses at $65 billion to $130 billion each year.
Sebelius's confirmation hearing was today in the Senate Finance Committee. She must be confirmed by the full Senate before she assumes the post.
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Economic Recovery Will Help Millions of Struggling Americans and Ease States' Financial Strain
February 20, 2009 - Posted by Antoine Morris
The recently enacted economic recovery plan will provide some much needed relief to millions of Americans who are struggling to make ends meet during the recession, particularly unemployed people.
The plan extends unemployment benefits up to an additional 33 weeks for workers who have exhausted their regular unemployment benefits, and increases weekly unemployment checks by $25 through the end of 2009. In addition, food stamp benefits will be increased by 13.6% starting in April.
Economists say increasing funding for both unemployment benefits and food stamps will have an immediate stimulative effect on the economy since those receiving the aid will likely spend it quickly.
In addition, 46 states are facing huge budget deficits over the next three years and have been struggling to continue providing welfare and health care assistance to low-income and unemployed people. Under the plan, states will get nearly $5 billion so they can continue to help low-income families through the federal welfare assistance program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. Currently, about 4 million people receive assistance through the program. Another $87 billion will go to states to help them continue to provide health care assistance through Medicaid.
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Healthy Food Advocates Push for Better Standards in Reauthorization of Federal Child Nutrition Programs
February 13, 2009 - Posted by Katie Kohn
With the number of overweight children between the ages of six and 11 having more than doubled in the past 20 years, healthy food advocates are urging Congress to make sure that federal child nutrition programs are updated to meet the challenges of providing healthy meals to the nation's children.
In 2004, President Bush signed a law that reauthorized and updated all federal programs that determine which foods can be served to children by schools and child care providers. The programs expire later this year and have to be reauthorized by Congress.
In December, a group of national organizations released "Statement of Principles for Child Nutrition Reauthorization" that they say should guide Congress in reauthorizing the child nutrition programs. The principles include:
- Increasing access to the child nutrition programs, particularly for underserved and low-income children;
- Enhancing nutrition quality to address rising child obesity rates and related health problems; and
- Updating and simplifying child nutrition programs to improve efficiency.
The child nutrition programs are administered through the Department of Agriculture. Listen to a radio interview with Tom Vilsack, recently confirmed as the secretary of agriculture, where he discusses the new priorities of the department.
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Children's Health Insurance Program Enacted; Four Million More Children Covered
February 4, 2009 - Posted by Tyler Lewis
President Obama signed the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) into law this afternoon.
CHIP, formerly called the State Children's Health Insurance Program or SCHIP, provides health insurance for low-income children from families who are not covered by private insurance and do not qualify for Medicaid. It currently helps states provide over seven million children with health insurance, but under the new law, coverage will expand to include an additional four million uninsured children.
The bill will also provide coverage to pregnant women and immigrant children. Immigrants were previously required to wait until they lived in the U.S. for 5 years before receiving aid.
Wade Henderson, president and CEO of LCCR, said: "Quality health care is a civil right and assuring access to that care for everyone is a top priority for the civil rights community. Illness and lack of insurance make it impossible for children and families to realize the American dream."
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Senate Reauthorizes State Children's Health Insurance Program; Covers Legal Immigrant Children
January 30, 2009 - Posted by Jessica Paquette
Yesterday, the U.S. Senate reauthorized the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), expanding coverage to include an additional four million uninsured children.
SCHIP provides health insurance for low-income children from families who are not covered by private insurance and do not qualify for Medicaid. It currently helps states provide over seven million children with health insurance.
The bill will also provide coverage to immigrant children and pregnant women. Current legislation bars legal immigrants from receiving aid until they have resided in America for five years. Several Republican senators offered amendments to limit the availability of SCHIP funding for legal immigrants, but the amendments did not pass.
"Those kids come from low-income families with parents that work hard and pay taxes just like citizens," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D. Mont. "And, those kids need checkups and prescriptions just like all other [SCHIP] kids."
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House Approves Expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program
January 16, 2009 - Posted by Jessica Paquette
On January 14, the U.S. House of Representatives voted (289-139) to reauthorize and expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to cover an additional four million uninsured children.
SCHIP provides health insurance for low-income children from families who are not covered by private insurance and do not qualify for Medicaid. It currently helps states provide over seven million children with health insurance.
The House bill also extends coverage to legal immigrant children and pregnant women who have lived in the United States for less than five years.
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