WASHINGTON - June 23 - Today, Children's Defense Fund President Marian Wright Edelman testified at the House Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing about the House Tri-Committee Comprehensive Health Reform Discussion Draft. Excerpts from her testimony are included below.

To view the submitted testimony in its entirety visit, www.childrensdefense.org/healthreformtestimony

"The Comprehensive Health Reform Discussion Draft takes strong steps towards quality health reform for millions of Americans-but I am concerned that under your proposal children don't get their fair share of needed reform, and rather than being better off than they are now, some are at risk of being worse off.

"I strongly recommend that you amend your draft bill to address the three critical areas for improvement that I stated earlier in my testimony: a national eligibility floor for children at 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Level; comprehensive health and mental health benefits for all children, building on what children now get in Medicaid; and a simplified system of enrollment so that all children who are eligible will be enrolled. These are essential to ensuring that children truly benefit from health reform."

For more information about the Children's Defense Fund, visit www.childrensdefense.org.