March of Dimes Calls for Health Coverage for Women of Childbearing Age and Children

July 13, 2007, Washington, D.C.:  Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, President of the March of Dimes, issued the following statement on the proposal to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) now before the Senate Committee on Finance:
 
“On behalf of the March of Dimes, I want to extend our heartfelt thanks to Chairman Baucus (D-MT), Ranking Member Grassley (R-IA), Health Subcommittee Chairman Rockefeller (D-WV), and Ranking Member Hatch (R-UT), for their Herculean effort to craft a bipartisan proposal to reauthorize and strengthen the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
 
“The package now before the Committee would enable states to maintain coverage for the estimated 6.6 million infants and children who rely on SCHIP for their health insurance and would permit states to increase enrollment in the program for an estimated additional 3.3 million children who are currently uninsured, in part through increased funding for enhanced outreach and enrollment efforts.  As numerous studies have shown, being uninsured means that children are twice as likely to go without preventive care and that infants and children with serious and ongoing health problems have difficulty accessing the specialty services they require.  
 
“The agreement reached by the Senate negotiators also gives states the option to cover low income pregnant women without having to obtain a federal waiver.  Providing the full spectrum of maternity coverage -- prenatal through post-partum care -- improves the likelihood that problem pregnancies can be managed successfully and that the risk of a poor birth outcome is significantly reduced. The March of Dimes is particularly grateful to Senators Lincoln (D-AR) and Snowe (R-ME) for their steadfast support and expert negotiating skills which led to the inclusion of this provision.
 
“The bill also aims to improve the care that infants and children receive with a thoughtfully crafted section on pediatric quality measurement that addresses both inpatient and outpatient services.  When fully implemented, policy makers and consumers will be able to use the information generated by these measures to evaluate program performance and to select the providers that best meet their health care needs. In short, pediatric quality measures will strengthen program accountability and simultaneously provide information essential to the improvement of health services for infants and children. 
 
“As the Finance Committee bill moves forward, the March of Dimes stands ready to work with Members from both sides of the aisle to secure reauthorization of this critically important program.”
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defect, premature birth, and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy and in 2003 launched a multi-year campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at marchofdimes.com or its Spanish Web site at nacersano.org.