State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)
Act now and tell Congress: Override President's Veto Of Children's Health Care

President Bush's veto of legislation to expand health coverage to four million uninsured children is a staggering attack on children and their families. To deny children the opportunity to be healthy is unconscionable. The Administration is radically out of step with the values and wishes of the American public, the nation's governors, and a bipartisan majority of Congress. Our children are our future, and we want them strong, safe and healthy. Please act to override the veto.

The legislation, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), was authorized by Congress in 1997 to expand public health care coverage to low-income children. At the time, more than 10 million children lacked health insurance. SCHIP gave states $40 billion in federal funds over 10 years to provide coverage for children whose families were earning too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford private insurance.

Six million children are now covered through SCHIP. But over the ten-year life of the program, the number of uninsured has soared, primarily due to the erosion of employer-based health insurance. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 15.9 percent of Americans lacked health insurance in 2005, including 9 million children. When we insure children we invest in our future.

The Senate passed SCHIP with 67 votes, enough to override the President's veto. Although the House voted overwhelmingly - 265 to 159 - to pass SCHIP, it fell 25 votes short of the 290 votes needed to ensure an override. Find out how your Member of Congress voted on this important legislation. If your Representative voted NAY, email TODAY and urge him/her to do the right thing for our nation and vote for the veto override.

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