Health Provisions in Economic Stimulus Plan

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced an $825 billion economic recovery package this week (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/16/business/16webstimulus.html?_r=1). The package includes increases in federal spending and aid to states for Medicaid costs.
The plan won praise from officials at the state level (http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=369338).

SCHIP Legislation This Week

The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on a bill to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) today (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/13/AR2009011302790.html). The House bill will extend coverage to an additional 4.1 million children. The Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to debate a similar bill on January 15 (http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/baucus-introduces-schip-bill-sets-markup-2009-01-13.html), and the full Senate could vote on the bill before the end of the month. The Senate bill would extend coverage to an additional 3.9 million children.

State Children's Health Insurance Program

Legislation to expand and reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is on the Congressional agenda for next week. Reauthorization of SCHIP must be addressed early in the 111th Congress as the SCHIP extension passed by Congress in 2007 expires on March 31, 2009. Prevent Blindness America joined with other vision advocacy organizations to send letters to House Energy and Commerce Committee leadership and members and Senate Finance Committee leadership and members requesting that eye and vision care be fully recognized and included in the SCHIP reauthorization legislation that the Committees will consider in 2009. Because states across the country are facing serious budget shortfalls and pressures, they are considering reductions to their Medicaid and SCHIP programs. Prevent Blindness America and the vision community are concerned that eye and vision care is not an assured benefit under SCHIP and will fall victim to any cuts made in the program. It is our goal to make eye and vision care a permanent provision in SCHIP.

USA Today Letter

USA TODAY ran a letter to the editor that president and CEO, Hugh R. Parry submitted on behalf of Prevent Blindness America! The letter was in response to an article regarding safe toys. Although the original article focused on toys containing lead and other toxins, our letter pointed out the dangers in toys that are considered “safe.”

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/12/keep-in-mind-wh.html