James Scibilia – 9/18/08

This page was last updated on September 25, 2008.

Benefits of CHIP expansion show; James Scibilia, M.D., Tri-State Pediatrics; Beaver County Times; September 18, 2008.

This is at least the second letter from Mr. Scibilia on this topic. As a doctor, keep in mind Mr. Scibilia would benefit from the programs he advocates below. That may or may not be why he wrote this letter, but it’s something we need to remember when people write letters like this.

Mr. Scibilia and Suzanne Vogel-Scibilia are husband and wife.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“After 18 months ago, Pennsylvania took a giant leap forward in improving the health of our children with the implementation of the Cover All Kids CHIP expansion.

“Now, all children have access to affordable health insurance.

“As a pediatrician, I know that health-insurance coverage is essential to providing access to appropriate and necessary health care for children. It improves health outcomes, establishes relationships with primary care physicians and the insured are less likely to use costly emergency room services for common ailments.

“CHIP is working well in Pennsylvania. Our success has national health policy implications. The reauthorization of CHIP’s federal counterpart, SCHIP, was unsuccessful on several attempts because some in Congress and the president wanted to focus the program on the poorest children.

“The Pennsylvania experience shows that offering access to insurance to all children actually encouraged lower income families who were previously eligible for the program to seek out CHIP. In fact, almost 60 percent of new children enrolled in CHIP since the program was expanded are from the lower income levels.

“According to data compiled by the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute, Wisconsin, Massachusetts and Illinois observed a similar trend.

“The experience in these states has important relevance nationally because about two-thirds of America’s uninsured children are already eligible for existing health coverage programs, including Medicaid and SCHIP.

“I strongly encourage our federal policymakers to invite more children to participate in affordable health insurance programs, like SCHIP, as a means to improve coverage for children in lower income families.”

[RWC] In case you missed it, Mr. Scibilia (just as his wife) is trying to sell us a full-blown government-run, taxpayer-funded healthcare monopoly. He’s just doing it a little piece at a time.

Why not make getting proper care for children the responsibility of the parents? Should parents who need help get it? Of course, but from private charities funded by voluntary contributions.