Contact: Brian Washington   (202) 822-7823

October 4, 2007

President Vetoes Health Care
for Millions of Uninsured Children

WASHINGTON -- NEA President Reg Weaver warns President Bush's veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) will leave millions of children without the medical attention they need to feel and do their best in school.  SCHIP is designed to subsidize the cost of insurance for children whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to buy private health insurance.  NEA is urging Congress to act quickly to override the president's veto. 

The following statement can be attributed to NEA President Reg Weaver: 

"The NEA is deeply disappointed the president would veto bipartisan legislation educators across the country know is crucial to helping students be successful in school.  If our goal is to truly leave no child behind, we need to meet the needs of the whole child, including their physical well-being.  We can't expect students to perform well when they are ill, or when they can't hear the teacher or see the blackboard because their families can't afford to pay for a hearing test, an eye exam or glasses.  All children deserve access to quality health care -- much like they deserve access to great public schools.  In our minds, the two are closely linked, which is why we are asking Congress to swiftly right this wrong by overriding the president's veto and showing the nation that we care about our children's health."
 

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The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators
and students preparing to become teachers.