Gov. Edward G. Rendell is urging the Pennsylvania General Assembly to provide “adequate” funding for the state Children’s Health Insurance Program, saying that families shouldn’t have to worry about losing health insurance for their children.

“The nation is experiencing one of the most significant economic downturns that many of us have ever known,” Rendell said at a visit to the Loving Care Children’s Learning Center in Folsom. “Now is the time to be sure that important safety nets like the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, continue to offer health insurance to children in need of coverage and care.”

Senate Republicans, who for several years have repeatedly battled Rendell, a Democrat, over health care spending, cut the proposed budget for CHIP by nearly $8 million, effectively seeking to restore the program’s funding to the current level. Republicans say the cuts are necessary as the state deals with a projected $3.2 billion budget deficit. The new budget under debate takes effect July 1.

Rendell’s proposed budget for fiscal 2010 includes money to add 24,000 children to CHIP, which provides coverage to children whose families have no health insurance or have low incomes. The program provides coverage to 193,350 children up to age 19 who lack medical coverage, according to Rendell’s office.

Rendell said the Senate’s cuts could mean less health coverage for almost 12,000 children and possibly prohibit the state from obtaining $16.7 million in matching federal funds.

Rendell spoke in the same classroom where two years ago he announced an expansion of the CHIP program, his “Cover All Kids” initiative, whereby an additional $11,000 children obtained coverage through CHIP, his office said.

If the Senate’s cuts take effect, the state may need to put children on a waiting list for CHIP coverage or scale back the health benefits offered, or both, Rendell said.

“Because of all our good work Pennsylvania’s CHIP program stands as a model for the nation and parents tell me all the time how well their children are doing because of CHIP coverage and care,” Rendell said. “We cannot allow budget cuts to erode the success of this essential program.”

Rendell pledged to protect CHIP funding from budget cuts this year.