In 1997, Congress authorized the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to expand healthcare coverage availability to low-income children. Over the past ten years, SCHIP has provided healthcare coverage for children living in families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford private health insurance. Because of SCHIP, more than 6 million children can now see a doctor when they are sick.

The legislation that authorizes SCHIP is set to expire this year. Congress will need to re-authorize SCHIP if the program is to remain in effect. Further, Congress will need to expand SCHIP funding if we are to cover the remaining 8-9 million children of low-income uninsured families.
With the reauthorization of SCHIP moving into the Congressional discussion process, you have the opportunity to advocate for: 1) the reauthorization of SCHIP legislation, 2) an increase in SCHIP funding to cover more uninsured children, and 3) changes to SCHIP enrollment to make the process easier for families to enroll (such as encouraging states to adopt self-reporting of income information).

To advocate for SCHIP, please follow these three steps:

Action 1 of 3 - Highlight and copy the following narrative with your computer cursor.
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Dear Congressional Leader,

The legislation that authorizes SCHIP is set to expire this year. Please re-authorize SCHIP and include additional funding so that our nation can provide healthcare coverage to its remaining 8-9 million uninsured children.

Also, please streamline the enrollment process to eliminate barriers that keep eligible children from gaining or retaining SCHIP and Medicaid coverage (such as incentives for states to adopt presumptive eligibility; 12-month continuous enrollment; automatic renewal; elimination of the asset test; and self-declaration of income).

Finally, please support an option for states to auto-enroll children in SCHIP and Medicaid if they qualify for other means-tested programs such as food stamps, WIC, and school meal programs. Your action is needed to protect our nation's children.

Sincerely,

Your Constituent
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Action 2 of 3 - Open theU.S. House of Representatives e-mail contact page and submit your request to your U.S. Representative by inputting your contact information and pasting the copied narrative in the message field. If you prefer, you may modify the text with your own words. When you are finished, please submit the e-mail to your U.S. Representative.

Action 3 of 3 - Open the U.S. Senate e-mail contact page and submit your request to your U.S. Senator by inputting your contact information and pasting the copied narrative in the message field. If you prefer, you may modify the text with your own words. When you are finished, please submit the e-mail to your U.S. Senator.