Support the HAWK-I Program, Reathorize S-CHIP

From ICAN...

This year, Iowa Citizen Action Network (ICAN) has asked you to take action on a number of issues that deal with the health and well being of Iowa ’s kids. There is no more important program for children’s health in Iowa than the Healthy and Well Kids in Iowa (HAWK-I) program, and unless Congress takes action, the program could be in serious trouble.

HAWK-I is a great Iowa name for a program called the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP. You may know about it because you may have nieces, nephews, grandchildren, or friends that can have health insurance because of HAWK-I. One of the great things about Iowa that we can be proud of is that because of the successful efforts of those that administer the HAWK-I program, nearly all children in Iowa have some health insurance coverage. While this is by no means perfect in our book, this level of coverage would be impossible without SCHIP, or what we call HAWK-I.

Thanks to Iowa Senator Charles Grassley, legislation that approved funds to re-authorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) passed the US Senate this week, and is expected to be brought up in the House soon. Yet, even with this bi-partisan support for SCHIP, President Bush has promised to veto this legislation.

In response to this threat by the President, Senator Grassley said "It's disappointing, even a little unbelievable, to hear talk about administration officials wanting a veto of a legislative proposal they haven't even seen yet -- because it isn't even finalized yet." (Freking, AP/Houston Chronicle, 7/12)

Contact your Representatives and ask them to support the reauthorization of the S-CHIP program and, if Bush vetoes the bill, to support to override the veto.