Washington - An agreement on a final bill to reauthorize and improve the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) has been announced today. U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, who led the effort to ensure that the Senate version of the bill preserved federal support for New Jersey's strong FamilyCare program, made the following statement:
"I am in the process of reviewing full details of this final bill, but initial indications are very positive. What we have is a deal that will keep millions of American children and families from being pushed into the ranks of the uninsured. Our state in particular has many thousands of children and families who don't qualify for Medicaid but also can't afford private health insurance, and they have nowhere else to turn. The bill Congress will consider and is likely to pass seems to preserve the necessary federal support for the FamilyCare program, and I am proud to have worked for these provisions. They will mean health coverage for many in our state that need it the most.
"I stood up on the Senate floor and defeated an amendment that would have specifically pushed 3,000 New Jersey children off the program, and I am in the process of thoroughly checking this bill to ensure that no New Jersey child loses health care coverage before I give it my full support."
"As the president continues his stubborn and uncompassionate veto threat on this bill, I will continue to stand up for the millions of children that he is turning his back on."
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