News

Washington, D.C.— U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) released a video statement after a critical Rubio provision benefitting Florida children was included in the extension of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) that was signed into law by the president.
 
In June, Rubio and U.S. Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) first urged then-U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Tom Price to take action on much-needed regulatory changes that would allow Florida’s CHIP to better serve Florida children and their families. 
 
Text of the statement is below. A downloadable broadcast quality version is available here.
 
“We’ve long supported and been working hard to protect CHIP in Florida, which took far too long to be reauthorized. But I’m proud that my efforts, and the efforts of my colleagues, passed the Senate and that they were quickly signed into law by the president.
 
“People in Florida are still feeling the negative impacts of burdensome policies from the Obama Administration – in particular, the many working families that rely on Florida CHIP’s Sunshine Health Stars Plus Plan. This is a vital program for families whose income level disqualifies them from Medicaid and traditional CHIP, but who still need affordable health insurance for their children.
 
“This put thousands of families at risk of losing affordable health coverage due to the Obama Administration. And, by the way, many of them did. But my provision will better serve Florida children and their families by ensuring that children across the state have access to quality, affordable insurance.
 
“We must continue to bring down health care costs and to roll back unnecessary regulatory barriers that drive up the cost of health care for all Americans. This is an essential step forward towards affordable coverage within reach of all Florida families.”