Legislation & Politics

Letter to the Senate Finance Committee expressing our support for the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2007

July 17, 2007

Dear Senator:

On behalf of the 1.4 million members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), I am writing to express our support for the Children’s Health Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2007 which is scheduled for consideration by the Finance Committee today.

The bipartisan effort in the Senate has yielded a bill that makes significant progress in reducing the number of uninsured children.  We commend Senators Baucus, Grassley, Rockefeller and Hatch for a determined effort to move this legislation forward.  This commitment to expand children’s coverage stands in sharp contrast to the President’s proposal to shrink coverage rather than expand it.

Under the bill, spending on children’s coverage is increased by $35 billion over the next five years as a result of a proposed increase in tobacco taxes.  We are hopeful that as the process moves forward that you will support a reduction in subsidies to Medicare Advantage plans and commit some of these savings to expanding coverage for children even further.

Sincerely,

Charles M. Loveless
Director of Legislation


 

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