Caring for children is the most important job of any parent. Caring for our children also is the single most important investment that we, as citizens, can make toward our collective future — a future in which everyone has equal opportunity and equal rights, starting with the most basic right to health.
It has been nearly 20 years since the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, was established to provide quality health care for children in low-income families. As we approach this milestone, it’s appropriate to look at the profound impact CHIP has had on our families right here in Maine and acknowledge the impact Hillary Clinton made to significantly increase access to quality health care for children.
Before CHIP passed Congress in 1997, there were some 36,000 uninsured children in our state. In just four years of the program’s existence, the number of uninsured children was cut in half — down to 14,000 by 2001. By 2013, nearly 30,000 children received health insurance coverage through our state’s CHIP program, MaineCare. Today, over 92 percent of eligible children are covered by Medicaid or CHIP and are able to receive regular, affordable health care.
These are amazing numbers, but the work of caring for our children is not just about the numbers. Behind the statistics, there are real stories. Behind every data point is a real person.
Because of CHIP, there are 30,000 children who can lead healthier lives today and will have a better shot at growing up to become the teachers, doctors and small-business owners of tomorrow. Because of CHIP, the parents of those 30,000 children can breathe a little more easily and spend more time playing soccer or reading books with their children, instead of worrying about how they’ll pay for the next doctor’s visit.
A program such as CHIP doesn’t just come into existence by chance. Leaders and advocates fought hard to make it a reality. Hillary Clinton understands exactly how important this kind of health and security is for our families, which is why as first lady she played a major role in making CHIP a reality in 1997. Not only did she push the White House to back the legislation, but she also spearheaded the “Insure Kids Now” effort to enroll millions of eligible children.
Faced with a recalcitrant Republican Congress, Hillary didn’t back down from a fight she knew had to be won, for our children and for our future. These are values we shared here in Maine. We asked our senators to support CHIP and to ensure a better future for all our children, regardless of their economic circumstance. Our hard work paid off: Sen. Olympia Snowe signed on as the second Republican co-sponsor of the bill, and Sen. Susan Collins signed on shortly after that. On Aug. 5, 1997, President Bill Clinton signed CHIP into law.
Hillary Clinton is carrying on that work today, by continuing to champion the values, initiatives and investments that will let our children lead safer and healthier lives — just as she did 20 years ago when she helped insure 6 million kids under CHIP. She has plans to ensure that policies under her future administration will continue to support investments in children that will provide the opportunity for them to climb the ladder of success and support a thriving nation. Children truly are our future.
Elinor Goldberg of Hope, now retired, is the founding president and CEO of the Maine Children’s Alliance.