Conyers Backs Bill to Provide Health Care to 11 Million Children, Strengthen Medicare

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Conyers today joined a majority in the House of Representatives in support of the Children’s Health and Medicare Protection (CHAMP) Act, legislation to provide health care to 11 million low-income children and strengthen Medicare.

“No child in Detroit, Dearborn, Downriver or anywhere throughout our nation should ever go without medical care,” said Conyers. “I was proud to back a plan to give 11 million children the care they deserve and move us closer to providing every child in our nation with high quality health care.”

The CHAMP Act reauthorizes the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) and protects coverage for 6 million children, including 89,257 in Michigan, while extending health care coverage to another 5 million low-income children, covering a total of 11 million children. S-CHIP was established on a bipartisan basis in 1997 by President Clinton and Congress, but must be reauthorized by September 30, 2007. If the program is not reauthorized, 6 million children nationwide could lose their health care.

The CHAMP Act also includes provisions to strengthen Medicare, control out-of-pocket costs for seniors and help ensure seniors have access to the doctors of their choice by stopping a scheduled 10 percent payment cut to doctors. Additionally, the legislation ends massive overpayments to private health organizations like HMOs and makes a series of preventative screenings free for Medicare beneficiaries. New free benefits under Medicare provided under the CHAMP Act include:

• diabetes screening tests
• screening for glaucoma
• an initial preventive physical examination
• bone mass measurement
• prostate cancer screening tests
• colorectal cancer screening tests
• mammography screening
• pap smear screening

“The CHAMP Act will help ensure seniors see the doctor they trust and get the care they need,” added Conyers. “The legislation we passed today makes Medicare stronger and helps prevent seniors from being stuck with a higher bill at the doctor’s office.”