Children's health care act must be renewed

Dr. Arnold W. Strauss (medical director of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center) has an excellent op-ed piece in today's Enquirer:

Eleven years ago, the health of our nation's children took a major leap forward with the enactment of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) by Congress. This federal legislation, which passed with strong bipartisan support, has provided an essential source of health care coverage to children whose parents cannot afford health insurance.

...Despite the best efforts of many in Congress on both sides of the aisle, SCHIP was not re-authorized in 2007. The program was briefly extended, but that extension ends March 31. Now is the time to ensure that the SCHIP program continues to thrive and that no child loses coverage.

...I believe every child in Ohio and Kentucky should have and deserves coverage. Help ensure that our children have the best and healthy start in life by urging Congress to properly fund and re-authorize SCHIP as soon as possible.