- Expanding Health Care for Michigan’s Children
Fred was a strong supporter of the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (H.R. 2) which the President signed into law in February 2009. The new law expands health care to an additional 80,000 needy kids in Michigan by reauthorizing the SCHIP program through 2013 to provide a total of 11 million low-income children, including four million kids who are currently eligible but not enrolled, with access to affordable health insurance coverage. Michigan Republican Reps. Vern Ehlers, Candice Miller and Thaddeus McCotter joined Fred in supporting the expansion of children’s health care.
Fred has been a proud, longtime proponent of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). It has been an extremely successful program in Michigan (MIChild) and across the nation. Fred was at the table in 1997 when Congress initially developed and enacted SCHIP in a bipartisan partnership between a Republican-controlled Congress and the Clinton Administration.
The new law allows Michigan to continue striving to ensure that every child has health insurance. At a time when many people have lost their jobs and their healthcare coverage, this legislation is critical to making sure that all children have access to quality health care.
SCHIP ensures that all children in Michigan have access to important care such as routine check-ups, immunizations and prescription drugs. Upton believes that as all parents know, it is vital for the nation’s future that we remain committed to the health and welfare of our children. Prior to the expansion, MIChild had provided health insurance to 55,000 uninsured children every month, and now up to 80,000 additional kids will have access to affordable health care.
- Expanding Arthritis Research
Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States. Fred joined Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA ) in coauthoring bipartisan legislation to help the nearly one in five adults and 300,000 children in America who suffer from arthritis. The Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act, H.R. 1210, will make landmark investments in research and support services for those suffering from the disease.
This important legislation takes the offensive in our effort to provide relief to the 46 million children and adults who suffer from arthritis each day. We are long overdue in finding a cure for arthritis, and this measure will boost the scientific research needed to conquer this disease.
The bill enhances the National Arthritis Action Plan by supporting federal, state, and private arthritis prevention and management efforts. It also focuses attention on juvenile arthritis research by creating a juvenile arthritis population-based database and establishes education loan repayment and career development award programs to encourage more health professionals to enter the field of pediatric rheumatology.
With more than 300,000 children suffering from pediatric arthritis in the United States, there are approximately only 200 pediatric rheumatologists in the country to treat them. There are nine states without even one doctor to diagnose and treat these children. This measure will help ensure that there are doctors available throughout the country to provide care for those adults and children suffering from arthritis.
The legislation is supported by the Arthritis Foundation, the American College of Rheumatology, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
- Silver Alerts Help Save Lives
In February, the House considered the Nationwide Silver Alert Act of 2009, H.R. 632, to establish a national communications network to assist efforts to locate missing senior citizens. The Silver Alerts are modeled after the nationwide AMBER Alert system, which has proven effective in keeping our children safe from the dangers of abduction. The AMBER Alert has rapidly become an invaluable tool for law enforcement officials in their efforts to quickly locate missing children and return them safely to their loved ones.
In the case of missing persons, whether children or adults, time is of the essence - the first few hours after an individual goes missing are the most critical. To coincide with the success of the AMBER Alert program, Fred strongly supports Silver Alerts to ensure the safe recovery of missing seniors with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia-related illnesses.
Fortunately, many states, including Michigan, have already established their own rapid notification Silver Alert systems (often in conjunction with the AMBER Alert), which have proven quite successful in locating lost or missing seniors. The legislation considered yesterday establishes a national coordinator to oversee the network as well as work with States to develop local Silver Alerts in consultation with state and local law enforcement officials.
Missing person cases are often matters of life and death. The expansion of the Silver Alert network will increase public awareness when a loved one goes missing and help ensure their safe return.
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