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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Tony DeLuca |
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DeLuca lauds House passage of bill to extend kids' health coverage program
HARRISBURG, March 8 – State Rep. Tony DeLuca, D-Allegheny, said the House of Representatives has passed legislation that would extend Pennsylvania's Children's Health Insurance Program for an additional three years.
DeLuca, chairman of the House Insurance Committee, said the legislation (S.B. 237) would remove the expiration date for the program in current law and extend the program to the year 2013. The program would provide health insurance coverage to close to 200,000 Pennsylvania children at little or no cost.
"One of my priorities as House Insurance Committee chairman is to make sure that Pennsylvania's Children's Health Insurance Program, which is the model for the federal insurance program for children, continues to be available to working families in Pennsylvania," DeLuca said. "In this way, we will ensure that hundreds of thousands of children in our state continue to have access to the quality care they need without their families having to worry about being able to afford it."
DeLuca said the legislation would allow the state to continue to draw down federal funding for the program.
The legislation now returns to the Senate for agreement. The governor is expected to sign the bill once it reaches his desk.
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