Congressman Rick Larsen's Online Office

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) applauded House passage today of a bipartisan children’s health care bill to provide coverage to 11 million American children who need it, including thousands of kids in Northwest Washington. The legislation, which has already cleared the Senate, cleared the House today by a vote of 290 -135 and is now headed to the President’s desk.  President Obama has indicated that he will sign the bill today.

“This bipartisan legislation will extend coverage to an additional 49,800 kids in Washington state including more than 3,400 kids in the 2nd Congressional district,” said Larsen. “This legislation is a smart investment in our children’s future that will reduce the costly use of emergency rooms for primary care.”

The bill reauthorizes the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) for four and a half years, ensuring that the 7.1 million children currently enrolled in SCHIP continue to be covered and extending coverage to 4.1 million additional children, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The bill is fully paid for by raising the tobacco tax by 62 cents.

The legislation also includes a funding fix for Washington state that Larsen has worked with his Democratic colleagues to secure. Since the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP) became law in 1997, Washington and 10 other states have been penalized for having expanded health insurance coverage to children from families just above the poverty line prior to the bill becoming law. For the past twelve years, Washington state has been unable to spend its allotment of federal dollars to provide coverage for these children. The legislation passed by the House today provides a fair, permanent solution for this inequity.

ADDITIONAL KIDS COVERED IN LARSEN’S DISTRICT:

The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act could help thousands more children in Island, San Juan, Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties get the health care coverage they need according to estimates from the Washington State Department of Social and Health Service:

Island County: 338 additional children could get health care coverage they need

San Juan County: 62 additional children could get the health care coverage they need

Snohomish County: 963 additional children could get the health care coverage they need

Skagit County: 835 additional children could get the health care coverage they need

Whatcom County: 1,257 additional children could get the health care coverage they need

(The numbers above are rough estimates based on maximum enrollment; a smaller number of additional children are likely to enroll in the program.)

###