Media Advisory
March 25, 2015
MedChi, The Maryland State Medical Society, and the Maryland Health Care For All! Coalition would like to thank Governor Hogan for his statement in support of the reauthorization of funds for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) beyond Federal Fiscal Year 2015. Governor Hogan expressed his support for federal legislation to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Program (SCHIP). MedChi CEO, Gene Ransom, thanked Governor Hogan “for putting people above partisanship and politics. Governor Hogan’s letter showed he is working hard to make sure Maryland Medicaid is properly funded by the Federal government.”
The Maryland Children’s Health Program (MCHP) is authorized and funded by the federal government. MCHP gives full health benefits for children up to age 19. MCHP enrollees obtain care from a variety of Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) through the Maryland Health Choice Program. The MCHP began in July 1998 and uses federal and state funds to provide health care coverage to low-income children. “We thank Governor Hogan for his strong support for full reauthorization of the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program,” said Vincent DeMarco, President of the Maryland Health Care For All! Coalition “The CHIP program provides critical health care coverage for eight million children in our country, including hundreds of thousands of Maryland kids, and will help fund Maryland’s health care budget.”
Benefits for children include – doctor visits, hospital care, lab work and tests, dental care, vision care, immunizations, prescription medicines, transportation to medical appointments, mental health services and substance abuse treatment.
In Governor Hogan’s attached letter from March 16, 2015 he stated that it is critically important that this program be reauthorized in order to preserve health insurance coverage for the over eight million individuals who currently are enrolled nationally, including over 126,000 in Maryland.
About MedChi
MedChi, The Maryland State Medical Society, is a non-profit membership association of Maryland physicians. It is the largest physician organization in Maryland. The mission of MedChi is to serve as Maryland’s foremost advocate and resource for physicians, their patients and the public health of Maryland. For more information,please visit www.medchi.org.
About Health Care for All! Coalition
Health Care for All! Coalition is a broad-based coalition of over 1200 faith, labor, business and community groups that have been working to guarantee all Marylanders access to quality, affordable health care. To learn more, visit http://www.healthcareforall.com.
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Last modified: March 26, 2015
