Senate Finance Committee Issues Testimony From Mother of CHIP Recipient
"Good morning. My name is
"Although I'm not here testifying on behalf of
"How would the change impact the services he's been recieving? How would we pay for it?
"With our current health insurance plan, the monthly premiums would not increase if we added
"CHIP also provides families with financial security and moms, like me, with peace of mind. In January of 2017, my husband was laid off. Thankfully he found employment a few weeks later. However, this short period of unemployment resulted in an insurance lapse for my husband and me. While we struggled to pay for my husband's medication, I was able to live my life with confidence knowing
"If the CHIP program was to go away, many families like mine would be forced to make tough choices between the immediate health of our children and the longterm wellbeing of the family unit. Monetary resources are already stretched for many families like mine. Families may have to ration medical care which could result in something that appears to be a minor medical issue going untreated and progressing into a more serious condition. Other families may procrastinate spending on maintenance services for vehicles or houses which can contribute to a tragic accident or expose the family to environmental health risks. If we were not able to find a way to afford my son's medication, his education would be severely impacted and that could impact his life well into adulthood.
"Among the sacrifices families may consider are activities such as sports leagues, dance classes, and Scouting. These programs teach our young people so much in terms of teamwork, perseverance, discipline, and leadership while promoting physical activity and healthy lifestyles.
"Some families may even have to sacrifice some of the care and oversight they provide for loved ones like parents, siblings, or even their children who because of their unique needs may live in group homes, nursing homes, or are aging in place with support staff. My daughter lives in a group home that is more than a 4 hour drive from my home. While I wish I could travel to visit her monthly, the best I have been able to do is about bimonthly and sometimes it stretches to quarterly visits. The increased financial burdens my family will experience if CHIP is not funded will impact our ability to participate in our daughter's life and insure that her needs are being appropriately met.
"There are approximately 9 million children who receive CHIP. This program provides parents with the security of knowing their children have high quality and reliable insurance coverage, no matter what challenges they face with their own health or employment. Losing CHIP would jeopardize the health of America's current workforce and the wellbeing of its future leaders. I ask you to extend funding for CHIP with the enhanced match rate for the next 5 years. Funding CHIP will contribute to the financial security of working middle class families like mine and ensure our children will continue to have access to exceptional medical care which impacts their quality of life well into adulthood. Thank you for the time you are investing in determining the future of the CHIP program."
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