Michigan City, IN—Today, Congressman Joe Donnelly visited HealthLinc, a local community health center, to celebrate the passage of The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which will provide health insurance to thousands of uninsured and underinsured children.

“Our children are our most precious assets, and we should work to provide health insurance to as many of them as possible,” Donnelly said. “Last year, almost 125,000 Hoosier children were enrolled in SCHIP. This year, an additional 66,200 Hoosier children could be insured as a result of this law.”

On February 4, President Obama signed the SCHIP reauthorization into law. This legislation preserves coverage for the roughly 7 million children currently covered by SCHIP and extends coverage to 4.1 million uninsured children who are currently eligible for, but not enrolled in, SCHIP. In addition, this legislation will expand coverage to include dental and mental health services.

“During these difficult economic times, programs like SCHIP are more critical than ever as many parents are struggling to afford health insurance for their children. I commend community health centers like HealthLinc for providing essential health services to our children regardless of their ability to pay, and I look forward to continuing to work to insure even more children.”

“We thank Congressman Donnelly for his tireless work on behalf of Hoosier children,” Said Beth Wrobel, Chief Executive Officer of HealthLinc. “Making sure our children have access to low-cost, high-quality healthcare is our main priority at HealthLinc. I applaud the congressman for his dedication to helping us achieve this goal.

###