LAUTENBERG, BROWN INTRODUCE BILL TO PROTECT HEALTH CARE FOR CHILDREN WITH CHRONIC AND LIFE-THREATENING ILLNESSES

Lautenberg, Brown Introduce Bill to Protect Health Care
for Children With Chronic and Life-Threatening Illnesses

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sens. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), introduced the Children’s Health Protection Act of 2008, which would ensure that children suffering from chronic, debilitating and life threatening illnesses have access to comprehensive and affordable health care coverage.  Companion legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Allyson Y. Schwartz (D-PA).

“We need to do all we can to keep our children healthy, especially for those suffering from chronic or life-threatening illnesses.  Children deserve full access to a doctor in their community and the medicine they need to get healthy.  Our bill is a critical step in making sure all children get the health care they need,” Sen. Lautenberg said.

“Children with serious medical conditions should not be cherry-picked out of their health insurance policies while their families struggle to provide care and pay medical bills,” said Sen. Brown.  “The Children’s Health Protection Act would prevent insurers from blocking children who need medical care the most.”

“The current health care system must be fixed: we cannot deny health coverage to those children most in need – those with health conditions or other illnesses.  Our plan, the Children’s Health Protection Act of 2008, is a much needed, common-sense measure to fix a failed policy that has allowed the insurance industry to deny millions of children the health care they need and deserve.  I thank Senators Lautenberg and Brown for working with me as we join to pass this important bill, and move closer to ensuring that ever American child has access to affordable, quality health coverage,” Rep. Schwartz said.

The Lautenberg-Brown bill would eliminate a provision in federal law that permits children with pre-existing conditions to be denied health coverage for up to 12 months if they have been without coverage for more than 63 days.  The bill would prohibit employers and insurers from imposing pre-existing condition limitations on children up to age 19.  This would prevent any more children from becoming uninsurable for their pre-existing conditions.

Twenty percent of school-aged children suffer from a chronic illness.  The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 allowed children to be denied health care coverage due to a pre-existing condition, such as diabetes or cancer, under private health insurance if they went without coverage for more than two months.  The Lautenberg-Brown bill would eliminate this provision.

Sens. Lautenberg and Brown and Rep. Schwartz have been strong advocates for expanding children’s health care.  The three cosponsored legislation re-authorizing the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP), which would maintain health coverage for 6.6 million children nationwide and add four million low-income, uninsured children to the program.

###