Obama signs SCHIP into law
Posted: Wednesday, February 04, 2009 6:49 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:
Barack Obama
From NBC's Athena Jones
WASHINGTON -- President
Obama signed his second major piece of legislation into law Wednesday, calling the bill that expands health-care coverage for children a downpayment on reform.
The law continues government aid to cover seven million children, provides an additional four million children with coverage and lifts the ban on states providing insurance to legal immigrant children.
Obama said America's responsibility to ensure the health and well-being of the nation's children had only grown more urgent during this time of economic crisis and that signing this bill was only the beginning of what he hoped to do as president.
"This bill is only a first step," he said. "The way I see it, providing coverage to 11 million children through CHIP is a down payment on my commitment to cover every single American and it is just one component of a much broader effort to finally bring our health care system into the twenty-first century."
He tied the SCHIP legislation to the economic recovery package making its way through Congress and again called for its swift passage.
"If Congress passes this recovery plan, in just one month, we'll have done more to modernize our health care system than we've done in the past decade," Obama told the audience assembled in the East Room, going on to talk about provisions included in the package that would computerize medical records, invest in prevention and extend health insurance for the unemployment.
Vice President Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Reps. Jim Clyburn, Charlie Rangel, Steny Hoyer, Henry Waxman, Jan Schakowsky and Sens. Harry Reid, Dick Durbin, Olympia Snowe and Dick Lugar were among those who joined the president on stage for the signing ceremony.
Also in attendance were New York Gov. David Paterson, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, New York Rep. Anthony Weiner and Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett.
After signing the bill, which Obama hailed as a bipartisan effort, the president and first lady spent a few minutes mingling with the guests as the pianist played a series of tunes, starting with "The Greatest Love of All," which begins with the line "I believe the children are our future."
