Democrats Write to Republican Governors on Children's Health Care

Today, Reps. Chris Murphy (CT-5) Anna Eshoo (CA-14) led an effort to organize Members of Congress to send letters to Republican Governors to ask them to use their unique positions to call President Bush and ask him to put down the veto pen. The President is threatening to veto bipartisan legislation to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) program to cover ten million children nationwide. The House passed the final version of the bill on Thursday with an overwheming bipartisan vote of 265-159, and the Senate followed with a veto-proof majority on Thursday.

Read the letter (pdf):

September 27, 2007

Governor Bob Riley

Alabama

Governor Sarah Palin

Alaska

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

California

Governor M. Jodi Rell

Connecticut

Governor Charlie Crist

Florida

Governor Sonny Perdue

Georgia

Governor Linda Lingle

Hawaii

Governor C. L. "Butch" Otter

Idaho

Governor Mitchell Daniels

Indiana

Governor Ernie Fletcher

Kentucky

Governor Tim Pawlenty

Minnesota

Governor Haley Barbour

Mississippi

Governor Matt Blunt

Missouri

Governor David Heineman

Nebraska

Governor James A. Gibbons

Nevada

Governor John Hoeven

North Dakota

Governor Donald L. Carcieri

Rhode Island

Governor Mark C. Sanford

South Carolina

Governor Rick Perry

Texas

Governor John Huntsman

Utah

Governor James H. Douglas

Vermont

Governor M. Michael Rounds

South Dakota

Dear Governor,

As Members of Congress who voted in favor of the reauthorization of the SCHIP program, we urge you, in the strongest possible terms, to contact President Bush to ask him drop his veto threat and sign H.R. 976, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2007.

H.R. 976 is bipartisan legislation which renews and improves the CHIP, investing an additional $35 billion over five years to provide health care coverage for more than 10 million children -- preserving coverage for all 6.6 million children currently covered by CHIP and extending coverage to 3.8 million children who are currently uninsured, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. It also provides incentives for states to lower the rate of uninsured children by enrolling eligible children in CHIP and Medicaid, including providing bonus payments. States will receive state-based allotments that are responsive to state demographic and national spending trends. States that face a funding shortfall and meet enrollment goals will receive an adjustment payment to ensure that no child who is eligible for Medicaid or CHIP is denied coverage or placed on a waiting list.

This legislation also replaces the August 17 letter to states from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services which restrained our state's ability to cover children above 250 percent of poverty. While the bill states that it agrees with the President on the importance of ensuring that low-income children have health coverage and taking steps to address substitution of private coverage, it gives states time and assistance in developing and implementing best practices to address substitution of coverage.

Congress passed the reauthorization of SCHIP by a broad, bipartisan margin in both houses. Despite this, the President continues his stubborn insistence on vetoing this crucial legislation. As a Republican Governor you are in a unique position to call on the President and urge him to drop his ill-conceived veto threat.

The time to do so is now.

Sincerely,

For full list of signatories, see the pdf file of the letter.