WASHINGTON, DC -- President Barack Obama signed the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2009 with measures that strengthen health care for America’s children, including legal immigrant children.



By signing this bill, President Obama ensured health coverage for four million more children in the U.S. and ended a five-year waiting period for health care to which legal immigrant children and pregnant women have been subjected for more than a decade.



“President Obama’s signature on the CHIP reauthorization is a tangible demonstration of the Administration’s commitment to the Latino community,” said Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO. “Our nation’s leaders have made a wise choice to stand up for our communities in the face of unfounded attacks and do what’s right for children by strengthening this important health program. They have sided with what is in the best interest of our nation’s children instead of a divisive anti-immigrant minority that seeks to invoke fear among Americans.”



Americans overwhelmingly favor health coverage access for legal immigrant children; polling has shown that 79% of voters supported the elimination of the five-year waiting period.