WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama withdrew a Bush Administration directive that restricted State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) coverage in at least 23 states and the District of Columbia. The directive was issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on August 17th, 2007.
First Focus President Bruce Lesley issued the following statement:
“President Obama should be applauded for withdrawing the ‘August 17th’ directive, which, if implemented, would have adversely affected millions of American children living in families who cannot afford health insurance. The directive would have asked a child with cancer or a newborn child to wait one year before being allowed to enroll in health care, even if a parent died or lost their job. Today, President Obama espoused our common belief that no child trying to enroll in health plans should ever be forced to jump through a series of bureaucratic hoops to attain coverage. Indeed, President Obama has taken deliberate and direct action that will protect the health and well being of our nation’ future. In this economic downturn, with foreclosures affecting over 2 million kids, and other harsh realities for young people, additional roadblocks to enrolling children in health coverage is not what American families need, and is, in fact, contrary to the spirit of our nation. We are pleased President Obama shares our belief, and we share his commitment to our nation’s children. Finally, we are pleased that the withdrawal of this directive will halt a series of lawsuits by states regarding its implementation. Instead of spending precious federal resources on litigation to restrict coverage of low-income children, we can now focus our efforts on improving coverage for these kids.”
In May of 2008, First Focus spearheaded a letter signed by 179 organizations from across the nation, to call on President Bush to repeal the measure, which was issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on August 17th, 2007.