PEDIATRICIANS URGE CONGRESS TO RESTORE FUNDING TO
CHILD INSURANCE PROGRAM

Washington, DC---The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is urging Congress to restore $1.1 billion in funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The lame-duck session, which starts tomorrow and is expected to last only a few days, is the final opportunity this year to ensure that hundreds of thousands of low-income children keep their health insurance coverage.

"We cannot afford to lose this funding," said AAP President Carol Berkowitz, MD, FAAP. "We already have 9 million uninsured children. We should be working to decrease that number, not increase it."

Negotiations on Capitol Hill are underway, but it is unclear whether the congressional leadership will reach a compromise in time before adjournment. The Academy is advocating for three things:

• Restore the funding to SCHIP
  
• Keep the money in SCHIP until 2007 when the program comes up for reauthorization
  
• Direct the funds towards maintaining health care coverage

The AAP has alerted its membership to lobby congressional leadership, delivered an AAP letter to Congress, and signed a joint letter from 73 organizations to be sent to all congressional members.

In addition to SCHIP, funding for other child health programs is currently under review in the appropriations process. Money for domestic programs, like childhood immunizations, is scarce, given the increasing cost of the war and climbing deficit. The AAP has been calling on Congress to reach closure on the budget and to provide the needed funding for programs that improve the health of children and adolescents.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.