Senator Baucus’s Call to Action is Echoed by the March of Dimes

Washington, D.C., November 12, 2008 – Dr. Marina L. Weiss, senior vice president of public policy and government affairs for the March of Dimes, issued the following statement:
 
“The March of Dimes welcomes Senate Finance Committee Chairman Baucus’s ‘White Paper’ on health reform as a constructive and important contribution to improving access to quality, affordable health coverage, particularly with regard to the healthcare needs of women, infants and children.  We look forward to working closely with the Chairman in the coming weeks and months to address the following Foundation’s 2009 priorities:
 
• Reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP) with sufficient resources to allow states to enroll eligible children.
• Permit states to enroll income eligible pregnant women in SCHIP without having to go through the administratively burdensome process of getting a waiver.
• Permit states to add preventive preconception care for low income women to their Medicaid programs. 
• Expand access to affordable, comprehensive private health insurance for women of childbearing age, infants and children.
• Increase federal support for development and dissemination of maternity and pediatric performance measures to improve the quality of health care for pregnant women, infants and children.”