By Crystal Swann
July 16, 2007

Marian Wright Edelman, Children’s Defense Fund President and Founder, thanked The U.S. Conference of Mayors for its support of health insurance coverage for all children. She noted that the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is up for renewal this year. That program, together with Medicaid, could provide coverage for most children in the United States. Millions of children, who could benefit, however, are not enrolled.

She acknowledged that coverage for all would be expensive, though not in relation to other expenditures we take for granted. “We don’t have a money problem in this country,” she said. “We have a values and priorities problem.” Among the guiding principles for any system of coverage, she said, are coverage for all children and pregnant mothers, a national—not state-by'state—program, and a “streamlined bureaucracy,” with automatic coverage that will ensure that all eligible children are enrolled.

She cited the tragic cases of three uninsured children who died earlier this year, which represents “the kind of thing that should not happen in America in 2007.” She said, “Every child’s life is equally valuable,” and the fact that these children were poor instead of rich should not have determined their fate.

She made the point that these are the children in every mayor’s city or town, and closed by again thanking mayors for their support for health insurance for all children.

During the June 25 business session, the Conference of Mayors adopted policy, “Reauthorization and Expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)” commending Congress for seeking an additional $50 billion (for FY 2008 — FY 2012); ensure that all children and pregnant women are covered; establish a comprehensive benefits package; and streamlined enrollment ensuring coverage for all eligible children.

As U.S. Mayor goes to press, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee (July 10) reached a bipartisan agreement on the expansion of SCHIP. The expansion would cost $35 billion over five years - significantly short of the $50 billion increase sought by Democratic congressional leaders and included in the congressional budget resolution, S Con Res 21. The expansion would be paid for with a 61-cent increase in the tobacco tax. Under the $35 billion deal only two million of the estimated nine million uninsured children would be covered. Early indications are that the deal will not address many of the above mentioned priority areas of the Conference of Mayors policy. SCHIP is set to expire September 30 without congressional action.