Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3162, the Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act.  I know that this was not an easy piece of legislation to put together and I appreciate the hard work of my colleagues on the Committees on Rules, Energy & Commerce and Ways & Means.

This bill is an important step in addressing the health care crisis faced by millions of families.  Access to affordable insurance and quality preventative care is critical to the well-being and security of all Americans.  The CHAMP Act will ensure that all eligible children are afforded the opportunity to enroll in state Children’s Health Insurance Programs and takes important steps to improve efficiency and secure the solvency of the Medicare program, relied on by so many of our seniors. 

The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), known as RIte Care in Rhode Island, has made health insurance a reality for over 12,000 children in my home state this year - the majority of them in families where one or more adult is part of the workforce.  It is a critical component of health care delivery in Rhode Island, as it is across the country.  I am so honored to be part of a Congress that is taking steps to ensure that all children who are eligible for this program are able to participate.  By reauthorizing the SCHIP program, we renew our national commitment to achieving the goal of ensuring all children whose parents cannot afford private health insurance coverage.

This bill also contains important components for Medicare beneficiaries.  The elimination of overpayments to private plans that participate in Medicare delivery is a necessary step to increasing efficiency of this program.  This action will go a long way in preventing premium increases for Medicare beneficiaries and will strengthen Medicare’s finances for the future.  While we still have work to do in improving certain aspects of the Medicare program -- particularly the prescription drug benefit -- this bill will ease the process for seniors who wish to change their prescription drug plan, and it will increase access to preventive services, saving lives and money. 

Finally, I would also note that this legislation contains a fix to the scheduled 10 percent cut in physician payments under Medicare.  I am pleased to support this fix and look forward to working with my colleagues to craft a permanent solution to the flawed funding formula that continues to recommend such cuts.  We cannot offer high quality health care to our nation’s seniors if health care providers cannot afford to see Medicare patients. 

I am pleased that this Congress has made access to health care a priority, particularly for our nation’s children and seniors.  I urge all my colleagues to vote in favor of the CHAMP Act.