Children's Hospital Patients March on Washington

June 20, 2007 — -- Children's hospital patients marched on Capitol Hill opposing a Bush administration proposal they fear will limit the eligibility of low-income families with sick children for federal support through the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

"The children and families are here as personal eye witnesses to how important children's hospitals are," said Lawrence McAndrews, head of the non-profit group the National Association of Children's Hospitals that arranged the Washington trip for the child advocates and their familiies.

The NACH supports reauthorization and increased funding for the SCHIP, a bill whose provisions are up for debate in Congress. The advocacy group contends that between the proposed changes to SCHIP and Medicaid, two-thirds of the nation's uninsured children can be insured.

McAndrews hopes the SCHIP legislation provisions are approved so that "all children are covered with proper policy matched with appropriate funding."

The families who took to the streets in Washington put a face to the policy debate on the floor of Congress. They share two things in common: their children got sick and they couldn't afford health insurance. They describe it as every parent's worst nightmare and hope to help other families avoidit by fighting for Medicaid legislation. And they came armed with stories of survival.

At 5 years old, Joseph Greenwood's heart failed. After a complicated heart transplant and medical bills that reached the lifetime insurance cap, his family -- an upper-middle class family of 4 -- turned to Medicaid.

His mother Angela Greenwood said she came to ask Congress: "Why aren't we [United States] number one in healthcare?" Greenwood says she is committed to "make things better for all other children and tell Congress that every decision they make is life or death for these children."

Marie Reyes came from New York State with her son Randy, who was born with cerebral palsy. Reyes was told then her son would never walk or talk. Seventeen surgeries later, Randy knowsn English, Spanish, sign language and takes tae kwon do.

Dr. Neil Feldstein, Randy Reyes physician, managed Reyes treatment for his chronic illness. Due to his relationship with Reyes, Feldstein believes that, "the cost of procedures and time spent in the hospital and nature of the illness should be considered" when families apply for SCHIP.

Marie Reyes never thought about the future because everyday she had to juggle her son's health and financial situation. When Reyes finally received guidance from Morgan Stanley Hospital and the team behind Dr. Neil Feldstein, she discovered her right to receive SCHIP and was able to navigate a difficult system for qualification. She argues that through the assistance of SCHIP "kids can have a life."

Currently, SCHIP insures families of four with an annual income of $41,000 or less, a starting point 200% above the poverty line. Federal and state governements share the cost of the program based on a complex matching algorithm that incorpates state-specific factors like base coverage, state wealth, and federal funding as well as number of Medicaid participants and average income.

Congressional Democrats propose to amend eligibility requirements to include families with an income 250% above the poverty line and add additional funding from $5 billion to $15 billion a year.

Republicans oppose the increase, citing a drastic deviation from the original intent of the program and arguing that any expansion of the program could substitute public for private coverage, possible creating a larger welfare state.

Senator Graham met with Joseph Greenwood yesterday afternoon on Capitol Hill and while he encourages the FDA to explore the Berlin Heart that saved Joseph's life, he does not support Democrats expansion provisions to SCHIP. '

"I cannot help. SCHIP has a special purpose and it's being used to slowly but surely eliminate private healthcare and I am not going down that road. I will be making a proposal to better insure the uninsured through private healthcare with tax credits" said Sen. Graham.

As a season of congressional appropriations embarks in Washington, negotiations and concessions are on the table SCHIP, its renewal hanging in the balance. Both parties support reauthorizing the bill, but how it expands financially and who it will cover are still a large part of the debate.