Skip to main content
News release

U.S. Moms Cheer Expansion of State Child Health Insurance Program

February 4, 2009
Health Care

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

MomsRising.org, the online and on-the-ground grassroots organization for moms and everyone who has a mom, today applauded President Barack Obama’s signing of the expanded State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The expanded program will cover an additional four million children in the U.S. for the next four and a half years.
 
“Our children’s health is something we hold near and dear,” said MomsRising.org President Joan Blades. “No child should ever be denied health care and the reauthorized State Children’s Health Insurance Program will help ensure that more children receive the care that they need. With more parents losing their jobs nearly every day, this legislation could not be more important to our nation’s health. By pressing for this measure, MomsRising.org members once again flexed their political muscle to help improve the lives and health of their families and families across the country.”
 
MomsRising.org members across the country mobilized in support of the expanded SCHIP legislation, sending more than 135,000 letters to their U.S. Senators and Representatives urging them to vote for the measure.
 
“Today we thank the members of the House and Senate for passing this important bill and we thank President Obama for wasting no time in signing it into law,” said MomsRising.org Executive Director Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner. “Healthcare for all kids has been a part of the MomsRising.org agenda since day one. Today, our nation took a giant step closer to that goal.”
 

# # # #

MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.