Support the State Children's Health Insurance Program

For the last decade, the State Children's Health Insurance Program has provided low-income children with health care coverage. The Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2007 would extend that program and could cover up to 4.1 million kids by 2012 who would otherwise be uninsured. The current program is set to expire at the end of September, so it's crucial that Congress act now.

President Bush, however, has decided to place narrow ideology ahead of our children's health, and has already threatened to veto the legislation. "My concern is," he said, "that when you expand eligibility...you're really beginning to open up an avenue for people to switch from private insurance to the government." But the Senate can send a strong message to the President and his fellow ideologues about health care by passing this bill.

This is the first battle in the fight to bring affordable health care to this country. Our friends at the Service Employees International Union are taking the lead to gather 1 million signatures to let Congress know that kids should come first and we want to be a strong part of that message. There is a petition you can sign at www.truemajority.org

Dear Member of Congress,

We need to fix our broken healthcare system and ensure quality, affordable healthcare for every man, woman and child in America. Let's start with our children.

There are 9 million uninsured children in America. They have no access to regular checkups, their parents struggle to afford doctors' visits when they are sick, and they often go without care.

I urge you to support full funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), to provide coverage to millions of uninsured children and bring America closer to quality, affordable healthcare for all.