Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Governor Calls On Congress To Fulfill Its Obligation To Iowa's Children
Advocates for full funding of SCHIP during Council Bluffs stop
COUNCIL BLUFFS – Today, Governor Chet Culver, traveling with Department of Human Services Director Kevin Concannon, urged congress to appropriate the $50 billion it authorized last week for state children’s health insurance programs (SCHIP). With this investment, Iowa will be in a position to reach its goal of providing every uninsured child quality, affordable health insurance in four years.
“In Washington they have drafted a budget with $50 billion in new federal funding for SCHIP. That is the good news, and I thank Congressional Leaders for their support of this measure,” said Governor Culver. “I am now calling on Congress to do the hard part, and that is to provide the actual dollars for this incredibly important program. My message to Congress is this: If you appropriate $50 billion in full-funding for SCHIP, we will do our part and work to make sure every child in the state of Iowa has health insurance. This is an ambitious goal, but a critical one and one that I believe can be met if Congress lives up to their end of the bargain.”
Currently, 50,000 Iowa children do not have access to affordable, quality health insurance. The Culver/Judge Administration took steps this legislative session to reduce that number by investing more than $8 million in Iowa’s SCHIP program – HAWK- I – which will expand coverage to more than 12,000 new children.
“We have a moral imperative to do all we can to make sure every child in this state has access to health insurance and improve their quality of life.That is why we made a promise to our children and their future to provide increased funding HAWK-I,” said the Governor. “I am happy to say that this legislative session we kept this promise. We have lived up to our obligations for our children, and now it is time for the federal government to live up to theirs.”
Today’s visit to Council Bluffs was the second stop on the Culver/Judge Administration’s “Capitol for a Day” tour. The premise behind “Capitol for a Day” is for the Governor to travel to counties across the state to hold office hours and listen to Iowans’ thoughts, ideas and concerns. During the events, the Governor is available to meet with Iowans and hear their ideas for the future of our state.
During the event, Governor Culver officially proclaimed Council Bluff’s Western Historic Trails Center as Iowa’s “Capitol for a Day.”