Senate Proceeding on Jan 28th, 2009 :: 3:42:40 to 3:57:55
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3:42:37 to 3:42:59( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: that they wouldn't otherwise have. i support this urge my colleagues to do the i yield the floor. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from a senator: i rise today -- ms. snowe: i rise today to offer my strong support for the reauthorization of the children's state insurance program.

3:42:40 to 3:57:55( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Olympia Snowe

3:43:00 to 3:43:20( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: because i've been a long-time advocate, it is state to the president's state, and to the country in terms of the magnitude of the problem that it seeks to address with uninsured children. the legislation, i wish to recognize the leadership of the

3:43:21 to 3:43:41( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: chairman of our body, chairman baucus for a long overdue reauthorization, it has been on quite a journey over the last few years, and there have been some differenc, ones expressed by the ranking member, senator grassley, as we have the floor. he has been a constructive voice

3:43:42 to 3:44:03( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: to reach a mutually acceptable agreement on this legislation, so his good-faith efforts should be saluted. regrettably the stakes are monumental higher than when we first tried to pass this authorization bill a year and a half ago the health and human services announced that

3:44:04 to 3:44:24( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: 100 million children were enrolled in the schip program which is a 4% increase over the previous year. that is partly attributed to the state outreach efforts, the fact remains that schip is offsetting the continued declines we have been experiencing in employer-sponsored coverage. we cannot turn a blind eye to

3:44:25 to 3:44:46( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: the fact that a 1% rise in the national unemployment rate boosts medicaid and schip enrollments by one million. including 600,000 children. the many working families struggling to obtain health care, if benefits are rack settable to them, the costs continue to rise moving further out of reach. in my state of maine a family of

3:44:47 to 3:45:09( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: four can expect to pay 4,000 on the individual market for coverage for health insurance. the fact is skip for yea has been a saving grace to millions of parents who have had to make wrenching choices when it comes care coverage with the cost of mortgages, heating bills, trying

3:45:10 to 3:45:30( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: to save for children's edution and other financial pressures. some as a welfare benefit. 95% of children come from parents where one parent is working. the anguish that parents who work hard to make ends meet, yet still cannot afford to pay for

3:45:31 to 3:45:51( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: health care coverage for their children is devastating indeed. they confront decisions that no parent should have to face, such as whether their children is really sick enough to go to the doctors. they worry about their children doing simple activities on the playground, riding bicycles for participating in sports because

3:45:52 to 3:46:14( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: they can't afford the consequences of a sprained ankle or broken arm. they often ratchet up their credit card balanceses. maine has one of the most aggressive states in enrolling children. the schip program covers 11,000

3:46:15 to 3:46:35( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: children in maine, but there are those eligible and unenrolled. that's why a reauthorization is critical. the bill before us will maintain health coverage for children who are already enrolled and reach nearly four million additional children it provides 100 million explicitly for outreach efforts and it changes the funding

3:46:36 to 3:46:56( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: formula to recognize the gains that states like maine had made in successfully enrolling low-income children while at the same time building in performance incentives for states who have room to perform their outreach and enrollment efforts. i know many in my talkus -- caucus will have eligibility

3:46:57 to 3:47:17( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: programs to the ability of states to reach all eligible but unenrolled children. make no mistake, i share that goal in trying to as many children as we possibly can. one way is through the express lane eligibility option which is already part of this legislation. more than 70% of uninsured children live in

3:47:18 to 3:47:38( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: families that already receive benefits through food stamps, the national school lunch program, the supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children. giving states the option to use express lane eligibility will simplify the way states determine who is eligible. it will lead to quicker and more

3:47:39 to 3:47:59( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: meaningful coverage gains. beyond simply enrolling children in the program, this bill also provides us an opportunity to emphasize preventive care. so not only are children covered, but we also improve their care. i am particularly heartened that the package recognizes that dental care is not a luxury benefit, but one that is paramount to the healthy

3:48:00 to 3:48:20( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: development of children. under the current law dental coverage is not a guaranteed benefit under the children's health insurance program. while all states offer dental coverage today, the lack a federal guarantee for dental care has left children's oral health unstable and unavailable

3:48:21 to 3:48:42( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: in some states. an unstable benefit that a state may offer one year and offer the next,hreatens the ability of a dentist to see a child on a regular basis and could discourage dentists from participating in the program all together. that's why i'm pleased that this legislation contains a guaranteed dental benefit, a policy that senator bingaman and i have advocated in the finance

3:48:43 to 3:49:03( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: committee and here on the senate floor. and even beyond access to a guaranteed benefit we had an opportunity to further meet an unmet need. today there are 4-point million children in our country -- 4.1 million children who are under 200% poverty had private

3:49:04 to 3:49:24( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: medical coverage but not dental. that's why i'm pleased that the finance committee accepted by a voice vote i introduced with senator bingaman and senator lincoln that builds on a guaranteed dental benefit under the schip program by giving states the options to low-income children.

3:49:25 to 3:49:45( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: a number of colleagues expressed concerns about the schip crowding out private coverage. well, our amendment addresses part of that problem. anecdotal evidence suggests that some parents eventual drop employer sponsored coverage to access dental coverage through the schip program. we give states the option so

3:49:46 to 3:50:06( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: working families without dental coverage have an incentive to maintain private dental coverage for those who are guaranteed dental coverage through the schip program. it is a win-win situation. all children should have access to comprehensi health care including dental coverage whether i

3:50:07 to 3:50:28( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: private coverage. proper dental care is crucial to a child's health and well-being. more than half of all children have cavities by the age and that number rises to nearly 80% of teenagers by the time they graduate from high school. and if we required anymore reason why we should support better coverage of dental care,

3:50:29 to 3:50:49( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: consider the heart-breaking story of the late dear amonti from maryland. his tragedy puts an all too critical face on the proper need for dental care. the cost of treating his brain infection that resulted from an abscess tooth at the chern's national medical center two

3:50:50 to 3:51:11( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: years ago was over 50,000 and despite their best efforts, the medical team failed it save his reich. yet a tooth extraction in a dentist office would have cost under 00 in describing this tredy "the washington post" reported that there can be a more vivid reminder of how

3:51:12 to 3:51:32( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: shortsighted our system is in not fostering health access that not onlyaves money, but lives. another option is for states to extend coverage to low-income pregnant wom through schip. it is inconceivable t the most prosperous nation on earth continues to lag behind the lest of -- rest of the developed world in providing

3:51:33 to 3:51:54( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: quality health care to expectant mothers. the united states ranks 41st among 171 countries in the latest u.n. ranking of maternal mortality. our country is better than this, madam president. that's why senator lincoln and i have long been involved in providing investments in maternal health in this country and globally.

3:51:55 to 3:52:16( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: the benefits of covering pregnant women are clear. women who regularly see a physician during pregnancy are less prematurely and less likely to have other serious medical issues related to pregnancy. sometimes these medical problems can be caught early and can be addressed before the child is born.

3:52:17 to 3:52:39( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: other times knowing about these health issues ensures that the necessary facilities will be available at the time of birth so tha the baby has the best chances for a healthy start. without a doubt coverage of low-income pregnantomen through schip combined with the development of quality measure so that we know how we can improve will build stronger, healthier families.

3:52:40 to 3:53:01( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: i also rockefler's amendment to give states the option to provide coverage of legal immigrant children. more than 20 states make this coverage available using their own dollars and the longer we postpone extending coverage to legal immigrant children and pregnant mothers the more likely they will be in worse health if

3:53:02 to 3:53:23( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: they a eventually covered by medicaid and allowing states the option to extend coverage to new legal immigrants would reduce these health disparities as well as address inefficient health care spending by assuring access to preventive care as opposed to relying on expensive emergency room care. i hope that my colleagues will

3:53:24 to 3:53:44( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: see the true benefits of this legislation and support it. this bill will allow states to improv eligibility up to 300% of poverty, 1,500 for a family of four, a boost that represents the right policy in view of the

3:53:45 to 3:54:06( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: fact that over eight million children remain uninsured today in the united states. the data available demonstrates that drawing the eligibility line at 300% of help maximize the number of children we assist in this legislation. in maine alone, for example,

3:54:07 to 3:54:27( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: approximately three-quarters of uninsured children are from families with incomes of 300% of poverty or below. the bill -- exemptions for states that have a state law allowing an expansion in state coverage today. from the start states were given

3:54:28 to 3:54:49( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: flexibility in how they could count income. the reason is due to the fact that there is strong variations among states in cost of coverage. a poverty rate of 200% in the new york metropolitan area is very different than the rate in rural regions of the country. this bill addresses the concerns

3:54:50 to 3:55:11( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: overuture coverage expansions. going forward if the state wants to income and expand beyond 300% of poverty, they can do so at the regular enhanced schip match. and to further ensure that we are creating incentives for states to concentrate on the poorest children before

3:55:12 to 3:55:32( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: expanding to higher income children, the bill provides over over billion in bonus incentives for increasing medicaid enrollment of eligible children. yet inexplicably we hear a chorus of reasons why we should not eand schip. some express concerns about the

3:55:33 to 3:55:53( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: size and cost of the package which is 2 billion. given the fact that over eight million children in this country remain uninsured, i would respond that it is a reflection of the magnitude of the problem. is it any wonder that states have responded to the call of families who were struggling

3:55:54 to 3:56:15( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: every day with a cost of health insurance and are assuming a tremendous burden in the absence of federal action. this bill is a critical first step towards greater health reform. now, some of my colleagues will say that schip will crowd out private coverage. again, parents are choosing schip because their employer sponsored coverage is often too

3:56:16 to 3:56:37( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: expensive if it is even offered at all. in the early days of schip -- schip employers covered 90% of the health insurance coverage for employees. today it is closer to 73%. according to a recent executive board survey, one-fourth of

3:56:38 to 3:56:59( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: large emp insurance deductibles by an average of 9% in 2008, a 30% plan to increase deductibles by an average of 14% in 2009. this bill is reaching out to those families who are struggling with the cost while aligning the incentives for states towards coverage of

3:57:00 to 3:57:20( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: families below 200% and that is the right emphasis. and under this bill 91% of children -- 91% of children will come from families poverty. some of my colleagues will argue that schip is the first step

3:57:21 to 3:57:41( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: toward government-run health care. well ove thus far with schip demonstrates that this happened. moreover these claims ignore the fact enrolled in medicaid receive most or all of their health care services through a managed care

3:57:42 to 3:57:55( Edit History Discussion )

Olympia Snowe: plan. madam president, schip has been one of the most significant achievements of the congress over this past decade. and legislative efforts to assure access to affordable