Rep. Pete Stark, chairman of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee through which the incoming Obama Administration’s health-care reform legislation is likely to flow, got out in front of it today by re-introducing his AmeriCare Health Care Act — which he says would provide affordable health care for all — and his MediKids Health Insurance Act, which he says would ensure universal coverage of children.

“As Barack Obama takes office and sets the direction for reform efforts, Congress is poised to work with him to make comprehensive health reform a reality,” Stark, D-Fremont, said in a statement issued this afternoon. “In that spirit, I am pleased to introduce AmeriCare and MediKids, both of which provide useful templates for achieving universal health coverage in America and are consistent with many of the principles outlined by the President-elect.”

Stark said the AmeriCare Health Care Act builds on what works in the current health-care system to ensure comprehensive, affordable, and reliable health insurance for everyone: People would be covered under the new AmeriCare system, modeled on a revised Medicare program, or continue getting health coverage through their employers.

The MediKids Health Insurance Act creates a universal health insurance program for children, based on Medicare with benefits revised to reflect the unique needs of children; every child in America would be automatically enrolled at birth and maintain that eligibility through age 23. Parents would retain the choice to enroll their children in private plans or in other government programs such as Medicaid or SCHIP, but if a lapse in other insurance coverage occurs, MediKids would automatically fill in the gap until the child was enrolled in another plan.

“I agree with President-elect Obama that a mandate to cover all children is needed,” Stark said. “I am proud to have worked closely with the American Academy of Pediatrics and other children’s advocates to develop MediKids. It sets up an efficient, workable way to guarantee health care for all children.”