The Association of Brethren Caregivers is drawing attention to a national initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation -- Cover Kids and Families. Each fall, Cover Kids and Families provides resources to help congregations and interested individuals help register families in their area for state federal programs offering health care insurance for children.

Of the 46 million Americans who do not have health insurance, approximately 9 million are children. Nearly half of them are eligible for Medicaid but do not register because they do not know the program is available to them. For more information and for materials that congregations can hand out to their members and communities about this program, visit the Cover Kids and Families website.

Congregations Encouraged to Support SCHIP Reauthorization by Contacting Legislators
The Association of Brethren Caregivers encourages congregations and Church of the Brethren members to support the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) by contacting their congressional representatives and asking them to reauthorize the program.

In 1997, Congress created SCHIP to provide insurance for children whose parents work but can’t afford health insurance of their own. Today, 46 million people live in the United States without adequate health insurance and 9 million of those are children. SCHIP is before Congress now for reauthorization to continue. Many legislators and organizations are calling for the program to expand and include more recipients, which means increasing its funding. This week, the House and Senate both passed bipartisan bills with differing funding levels in support of SCHIP. In May, President Bush indicated he would veto any bill that expands the program. A new update from the Children’s Defense Fund highlights some differences in the bills while encouraging those in support of SCHIP to contact their representatives.

“As you can see, the fight’s not over,” states the Children’s Defense Fund update. “Your elected officials will still need to hear from you along every step of the process moving forward to be reminded that their constituents support comprehensive health coverage for all children in America.” With congressional members readying to take an August break, legislators should be contacted at their home offices.

Several organizations provide programs and resources that congregations can use to talk about the importance of continuing and expanding the SCHIP program in newsletters, bulletins and community forums. Below is a list of resources:

• The Church of the Brethren Washington Office’s July 20 Washington Action Alert describes the importance of SCHIP and cites a 1989 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference Statement affirming the right to healthcare for all.
• “Cover the Uninsured” offers a fact sheet about SCHIP, a map of events to support SCHIP that are being planned around the United States, and a compilation of news articles about the reauthorization of SCHIP, both pro and con, to inform the public.
• The Children’s Defense Fund has a Faith Community Action Kit and flier to help congregations get the word out about SCHIP. The organization also offers a 39-page “Toolkit for Faith Communities” as a downloadable PDF file.
• The Association of Brethren Caregivers’ announcement from May offers reasons why people of faith should support the legislation and describes the need for a program to offer health care for children and working families who are unable to afford health care insurance.
  

The initiative to support the need for better health care for the uninsured is not a new effort for the Church of the Brethren. In April, both the Association of Brethren Caregivers and the Church of the Brethren General Board signed up to support the All Healthy Children Act with the Children’s Defense Fund. For the last four years, ABC has been a partnering organization to promote Cover the Uninsured and “Covering Kids & Families.” These programs of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation call attention to the need for health care insurance in America and seek to register children and family for low-cost or free health insurance.

To make your voice heard in support of the SCHIP program, contact your Senators and Representative by calling (888) 226-0627 or contacting their home offices during Congress' August break. Cover the Uninsured and the Children’s Defense Fund both offer statements that individuals can use when contacting their legislators.

May 7 Announcement
Congregations Encouraged to Act On Behalf of 9 Million Uninsured Children in America
The Association of Brethren Caregivers encourages congregations and Church of the Brethren members to contact their congressional representatives to ask them to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Current funding for SCHIP will expire September 30.

In 1997, Congress created SCHIP to provide insurance for children whose parents work but can't afford health insurance of their own. Today, 46 million people live in the United States without adequate health insurance and 9 million of those are children. SCHIP comes before Congress again this year to be reauthorized to continue. The Children’s Defense Fund is initiating this Call to Action to encourage elected officials to provide comprehensive health and mental health coverage to every child in America.

“Children are dying in America because they lack health coverage and adequate access to doctors and dentists,” states a bulletin insert from the Children's Defense Fund used to promote a Mother’s Day Call to Action. The insert includes the stories of three children who died in 2007 due to lack of adequate health care. The bulletin also notes that of the nine million children in America without health insurance, 90 percent are living in working households and the majority are in two-parent families. Click here to download a PDF file of the bulletin insert.

In April, both the Association of Brethren Caregivers and the Church of the Brethren General Board signed up to support the All Healthy Children Act with the Children’s Defense Fund. The initiative to support the need for better health care for the uninsured is not a new effort for the Church of the Brethren. For the last four years, ABC has been a partnering organization to promote “Cover the Uninsured” and “Covering Kids & Families.” These programs of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation call attention to the need for health care insurance in America and help register children and family for low-cost or free health insurance.

“Many families in the United States today are struggling to provide their children with adequate health care,” states Kim Ebersole, director of Family and Older Adult Ministry for ABC. Let us put our faith into action by contacting our Senators and Representatives and urging them to reauthorize SCHIP. The ‘gift’ of healthy children, and healthy families, would be a present mothers (and fathers) would cherish.”

To make your voice heard in support of the SCHIP program, contact your Senators and Representative by calling (888) 226-0627.

The Children's Defense Fund has a 39-page “Toolkit for Faith Communities available as a downloadable PDF file. Additional resources for Church of the Brethren members to consider regarding SCHIP are available from ABC’s advocacy materials "Cover the Uninsured."