Clarification on Federal SCHIP coverage for pregnant women and their children

On August 6th we had a post on the narrow defeat of an amendment which would have reinstated the  "unborn child" for federal health coverage under SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance program). And a response from a prolife Democrat.

Here's the post  LifeNet: Senate's defeat of healthcare benefits for poor pregnant women and their unborn children; with a response from proli...

Unlike the 2002 legislation, the pending legislation covers pregnant women, but not their unborn child. However, the unborn child is cared for when the mother is cared for.

Here is a very good explanation from the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment. We have highlighted two important points: pregnant women could be eligible for "abortion services" under this wording, and undocumented immigrants and their unborn babies no longer qualify for coverage.

Current Legislative Report NCHLA

SCHIP

If the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is to continue to provide health insurance for low-income children, it must be reauthorized by September 30, 2007. Since 2002, regulations have defined the coverage under SCHIP to include children from conception to birth. This allows states to provide prenatal care and other health services to the child and the child’s pregnant mother. Since 2002, eleven states have begun to use this option for coverage.

In the House, the Children’s Health and Medicare Protection Act (CHAMP) (H.R. 3162) includes the SCHIP reauthorization. In contrast to the 2002 regulations, H.R. 3162 shifts the focus of coverage from the child to the pregnant woman (Section 133). The 2002 regulations expanded life-affirming care for mother and child without expanding abortion. The "pregnant woman" option, however, makes the woman eligible for all publicly funded services, potentially including state-funded elective abortions in 17 states. The 2002 regulations also provide care to the immigrant pregnant woman, included in coverage for the child, who is not an illegal immigrant. Under the "pregnant woman" option in H.R. 3162, it would be illegal to cover either the undocumented immigrant woman or her child.

In the Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-PA) was prepared to offer an amendment to codify and strengthen the 2002 regulations in H.R. 3162, but markup was suspended. The bill came to the floor under a closed rule and on August 1 passed without consideration of the Pitts Amendment.

The Senate’s bill, the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization (S. 1893), was brought to the Senate floor as a substitute text for H.R. 976, the House-passed Small Business Tax Relief Act. The Senate bill allowed continuation of coverage under the 2002 regulations but with the unsettling qualification that no congressional intent was to be inferred "regarding the legality or illegality" of the regulation. To protect the "unborn child" regulations, Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO) offered an amendment to codify and strengthen the regulations in law (SA 2535). On August 2, the Allard Amendment narrowly failed to be approved, 49-yes, 50-no, 1-not voting (Roll Call 302). Later in the day the Senate passed H.R. 976. In an August 2 letter supporting reauthorization of SCHIP, Nancy Wisdo, Associate General Secretary of the USCCB, had urged passage of the Allard Amendment.

Comments

[John Lally]

Please go to the Comments section at the end of the August 6th posting http://hvcljournal.typepad.com/lifenet/2007/08/senates-defeat-.html
where I've made a correction regarding my letter, sent as a pro-life Democrat, to Senators Clinton and Schumer regarding the bill reauthorizing SCHIP.

John Lally