Alabama Newspapers Recognize Aderholt's Contribution to SCHIP

This week the House of Representatives concluded a long-term extension of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) that was championed by Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) following the breakdown of bipartisan negotiations. Two recent editorials by Alabama newspapers recognized the importance of the program's extension and Congressman Aderholt's efforts to help make it happen.

EDITORIALS

Not a nice Christmas present
In our opinion
12-21-2007

There are about 70,000 children enrolled in ALL Kids, the subsidized health-insurance program (our version of the State Children's Health Insurance Program) that's designed to cover children in families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but still can't afford private insurance.

The state of Alabama can cover these children because it has money left over from previous years when we were not running at full capacity. Without this reserve, we would have to drop children from the program.

With President Bush's veto of SCHIP, that could soon happen.

The bill Bush rejected contained a lot of things he did not like. That included the coverage expansion and opening the program to new categories of qualifiers. However, the bill also contained more money to meet the growing number of children who qualify under the present rules.

In response, Bush offered a compromise that would add more money but, as far as Alabama is concerned, it's not enough. Even with what Bush is willing to accept, some children currently enrolled will be dropped from the program.

Now is the time for the Republicans in the Alabama delegation to step up and demand that the president they've supported on this issue come forward with a better plan — one similar to what Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, is proposing. But the Aderholt compromise, which would allocate more money than Bush wants to spend, has not generated much enthusiasm in the White House.

We hope this will change. If the president cannot be brought around by reason and the Democrats push through a short-term extension that maintains the status quo, some Alabama children will lose their insurance.

And that's not a nice Christmas present.

December 17, 2007
Editorial

Kids' care debate vital for state

It's hard to imagine a better public investment than health insurance for children. Does anything make more sense on more levels?

When children get proper medical care, regular checkups, prompt attention to illnesses and other basics of health care that insurance makes possible, they lead healthier lives and do better in school. Their long-term prospects for education and productivity are enhanced. In short, it's money well spent.

That's why the debate over funding for the program known nationally as SCHIP and in Alabama as ALL Kids is not some ordinary bit of Washington political wrangling. It's enormously important for Alabama.
SCHIP -- State Children's Health Insurance Program -- was created by Congress a decade ago to provide health care coverage for children caught in an all too common situation. Although their incomes are modest, their families earn too much too qualify for Medicaid. Their parents often work in jobs that don't offer health insurance as a benefit. Private health insurance is beyond their means.

Alabama's program, ALL Kids, covers almost 70,000 children of families earning up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. If that sounds generous to you, consider this: For a family of four, that represents an income of $41,300 per year. In these times, that's not a lot.

Even at the current enrollment in Alabama, the annual funding is not covering the cost. Alabama has avoided a shortfall only because it had surplus funds from earlier years before the program reached its present size. When that money is gone, which state officials estimate will happen by the end of next year, Alabama could be in a very difficult position.

"We're really in a sticky situation," ALL Kids director Cathy Caldwell said in an interview with The Associated Press. "It is very possible that we would need to start reducing enrollment beginning in the next few months to get to a level that we can support."

A scaled-back ALL Kids program would have grim implications for perhaps thousands of Alabama children, and for the state's future as well. The congressional debate is not just about budget numbers; it's also about real people.

At issue is the expansion of the federal funding that covers most of the costs of the program. Congress has twice passed measures increasing annual funding by $7 billion for five years. President Bush has vetoed both measures, arguing that they are too expensive. He has said he is willing to support a $1 billion annual increase.

In the short term, the House this week is expected to consider extending funding at current levels into next year. That, understandably, makes state officials nervous.

The House would be well advised to consider a compromise offered by Alabama Rep. Robert Aderholt. He proposes a $2.6 billion increase over the next 18 months. That's enough money to allow the programs to continue successfully in the states and enough time to allow Congress and the president to come to an agreement on longer-range funding.

This is not just about lines on a balance sheet. It's about the healthy lives of children.