What is SCHIP > At A Glance
Since its inception in 1997, SCHIP has played an important role in providing health coverage to millions of low-income children. There can be no doubt the program is making a real difference in their lives.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation:
- Children with insurance fare significantly better than uninsured children on a host of access measures, such as having a usual source of care, fewer delays in care due to cost, and number of physician and dental visits.
- Research has shown that uninsured children are more likely to experience avoidable hospital stays than insured children due to their lack of a regular source of primary care.
- Children who do not have a primary care physician are nine times more likely to be hospitalized for a preventable problem.
Despite this proven success, a reauthorization bill to expand SCHIP has stalled in Congress.
What are the stakes?
The level of federal funding will determine whether states have sufficient funds to continue covering children who are now enrolled and whether they will be able to expand coverage to cover millions of eligible children without insurance.
An expanded SCHIP would cover an additional 3 million children.
Now is the time for action.
To urge your representatives in Congress to stand strong for the health of America’s children, Click Here
