organizing around SCHIP

[Discussion list for COMM-ORG]

[ed:  for those of you not following SCHIP closely, this message gives 
some information on the level of organizing around the program the past 
two weeks.]

From:
"PICO National Network" <gwhitman at piconetwork.org>


2,000 Faith Leaders to President Bush: "Don't Stand Between
Children and the Health Care they Need."
Letter urges bi-partisan support for Children's Health
legislation

PICO National Network released the following letter today to
President Bush from 2,000 faith leaders from all 50 states and
400 Congressional Districts. Faith leaders from across the
spectrum urge the House and Senate to pass children's health
legislation with strong, bi-partisan majorities. This letter ran
as a full-page ad in the Washington Times today and in local
papers. Visit http://ga3.org/ct/8p_svVd1RXCw/ to see who
signed listed by State and Congressional District.

Dear President Bush,

As faith communities spanning the major American religious
traditions, we are dismayed and deeply disappointed that you
have threatened to veto legislation designed to improve the
health of our nation's children. With children back in school
and SCHIP set to expire on September 30, people in congregations
across the country are asking why the President would go out of
his way to block an effort to cover uninsured children.

As a person of faith, you know that we are judged by how we care
for the least among us. Our shared faith traditions teach us
that children are a precious gift from God. As adults we have a
sacred obligation to protect our nation's young people. That is
why an overwhelming number of Americans support strengthening
existing federal child health programs to reach all uninsured
children. It is also why our states, led by Republican and
Democratic Governors alike, are moving aggressively to cover
uninsured children.

You yourself have spoken about the need to cover uninsured
children many times in the past. On October 21, 2004, in
Pennsylvania, while running for re-election you said: "We'll
keep our commitment to America's children by helping them get a
healthy start in life. I'll work with governors and community
leaders and religious leaders to make sure every eligible child
is enrolled in our government's low-income health insurance
program. We will not allow a lack of attention, or information,
to stand between millions of children and the health care they
need."

America's governors, community leaders, and faith leaders have
kept our commitment to children by working diligently to reach
out to and enroll uninsured children. But we cannot succeed in
reaching the 9 million uninsured children in America without
leadership from Washington. We are counting on you now to keep
your commitment to America's children.

As you know the State Children's Health Insurance Program
(SCHIP) is a highly successful program that has always had
bi-partisan support as a pragmatic way to help states reach
children who are not poor enough for Medicaid but whose parents
cannot obtain coverage for their children at work. SCHIP is a
good example of a pragmatic policy focused on children not
ideology. SCHIP provides states with the flexibility to design
programs that meet children's needs. It delivers health coverage
through private insurance companies, not public agencies. SCHIP
is a popular and successful program that should not be dragged
down into a partisan political fight over health care ideology.

The bipartisan compromise Senate legislation that you threatened
to veto would provide hope of health coverage to 4 million
children who are currently uninsured, while protecting coverage
for an addition 6.6 million children who depend on SCHIP to see
a doctor. The compromise rightly focuses on low-income children
with the most needs. For example, more than 4 out of 5 of the
low-income uninsured children who would be covered are already
eligible for SCHIP and Medicaid. They are exactly the low-income
children you spoke about in October 2004 in Pennsylvania.

We ask you to keep your commitment to America's children by
stepping back from your veto threat. We pray that you will see
the opportunity to move ahead together as a nation, so that
people of faith see a day when no child goes without treatment
or relies on an emergency room for their care, when every child
in America has the health coverage they need to grow up into
healthy and productive citizens.

We would ask for an opportunity for faith leaders to meet with
you as soon as possible.

For more information please contact Fr. John Baumann, Executive
Director, PICO National Network, jbaumann at piconetwork.org, (510)
655-2801 http://ga3.org/ct/id_svVd1RXCx/.

###

PICO is a national network of 53 faith-based community
federations working in 150 cities and 18 states to improve
neighborhoods and strengthen families. The National Council of
Churches USA, Sojourners and other faith organizations worked
with PICO to encourage faith leaders to join this letter.
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