Association of Brethren Caregivers joins ‘Cover the Uninsured’ for fourth year.

For the fourth year in a row, the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) has signed on to the "Cover the Uninsured" Campaign on behalf of the Church of the Brethren. ABC encourages congregations to participate in "Cover the Uninsured" Week on April 23-29.

This program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation raises awareness about the plight of nearly 46 million uninsured Americans. This year’s campaign will focus on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Signed into law in 1997 and scheduled for reauthorization by Congress this year, SCHIP provides each state with federal funds to design a health insurance program for vulnerable children. SCHIP has become increasingly important for lower income families to provide preventative health care for their children. Last fiscal year, more than six million children were enrolled in SCHIP.

A new study conducted by the University of Minnesota found that, since 1997, employer offers of health insurance to parents with lower incomes have fallen three times as fast as offers to parents who earn more money. Nationally, fewer than half (47 percent) of parents in families earning less than $40,000 a year are offered health insurance through their employer--a nine percent drop since 1997. Meanwhile, offers of health insurance to parents in families earning $80,000 or more have held steady at about 78 percent.

"In reauthorizing SCHIP, Congress must provide the funds needed to maintain coverage for all currently enrolled kids and the millions more who are eligible but remain unenrolled," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

To find out more visit www.CoverTheUninsuredWeek.org.

Source: 3/16/2007 Newsline