Moran Unveils Bold Plan to Insure Every Virginia Child

~ Make Virginia a Top Ten State for Insuring Kids~

ALEXANDRIA – At Alexandria’s Queen Street Clinic for the uninsured, Brian Moran announced his “Healthy Virginia: Cover Every Kid” plan, the first part of a comprehensive health care plan. Today, more than 10 percent of children in Virginia are uninsured, making Virginia 32nd out of the 50 states. Moran’s four-point plan would put Virginia in the top 10 states, making us a national leader in children’s health insurance. Over 200,000 Virginia children are uninsured.

“Insuring every Virginia child is a moral imperative and an economic necessity,” Moran said. “We can expand health insurance and cover every child, giving them a healthy start to life. Virginia can and should be a national leader in protecting and providing care to our kids.”

HEALTHY VIRGINIA: Cover Every Kid

• Raise eligibility to Virginia’s Family Access to Medical Insurance Security Plan (FAMIS) program from 200 percent of the federal poverty level to 300 percent
• Allow families above the 300 percent level to buy into FAMIS
• Eliminate the four-month waiting period for children who lose insurance to enter the FAMIS program
• Automatically enroll all children from qualifying families in children’s health insurance at birth

FAMIS is Virginia’s implementation of the federal State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

Brian Moran believes that every child deserves quality health care. He worked with Governors Mark Warner and Tim Kaine to increase the number of children eligible for health insurance, and he opposed President Bush’s veto of children’s health insurance expansion.

Moran pledged an aggressive effort to enroll all eligible children in this expanded health insurance program. Warner and Kaine made expanded enrollment top priorities of their administrations.

Relevant Facts

• According to the Kaiser State Health Facts, there are 207,780 uninsured children in Virginia.
• The current income eligibility standard for FAMIS is $35,200, 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
• Three quarters of uninsured children live in families with at least one full-time worker

In 2007, Brian Moran was named “Child Advocate of the Year” by the Virginia PTA.

Brian Moran has a 20-year record of fighting for the people of Virginia. He was Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus and a Delegate from Alexandria City and Fairfax County. Prior to that, he served as a prosecutor in Arlington County.

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