Obama Signs Kids Health Insurance Bill

(CBS)

Joined by lawmakers, children's health advocates and ordinary families, President Obama today signed into law an expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program designed to extend government health care to roughly 4 million children.

"In a decent society, there are certain obligations that are not subject to trade-offs or negotiations, and health care for our children is one of those obligations," the president said.

Noting that there are presently 8 million American children without health insurance, the president said it is "hard to overstate the toll this takes on families" when "all it takes is one accident, one injury, to send your family into financial ruin."

The House of Representatives earlier passed the SCHIP legislation by a 290-135 vote. An additional $32.8 billion will now be allocated to the program, which currently covers seven million children.

SCHIP is designed to give health insurance to children whose families make too much to qualify for Medicaid but for whom paying for private insurance is a major burden. The money for expanding the program comes from a planned 62-cent-per-pack increase in the federal tax on cigarettes.

President Bush twice vetoed legislation to expand SCHIP. Opponents say it means an unnecessary extension of government insurance to families that could afford private insurance. They also worry that it is the first step towards socialized health care.

"This is only the first step," the president said today, dubbing the bill a "down payment on my commitment to cover every single American." He called it one component of a broader effort to bring the U.S. health care system into the 21st century.

In signing the bill, the president said "we fulfill one of the highest responsibilities that we have: to ensure the health and well being of our nation's children."

The president's full remarks, as provided by the White House, are below.


PRESIDENT OBAMA: Today, with one of the first bills I sign – reauthorizing the Children's Health Insurance Program – we fulfill one of the highest responsibilities we have: to ensure the health and well-being of our nation's children.

It is a responsibility that has only grown more urgent as our economic crisis has deepened, health care costs have exploded, and millions of working families are unable to afford health insurance. Today in America, eight million children are still uninsured – more than 45 million Americans altogether.

It's hard to overstate the toll this takes on our families: the sleepless nights worrying that someone's going to get hurt, or praying that a sick child gets better on her own. The decisions that no parent should ever have to make – how long to put off that doctor's appointment, whether to fill that prescription, whether to let a child play outside, knowing that all it takes is one accident, one injury, to send your family into financial ruin.

The families joining us today know these realities firsthand. When Gregory Secrest, from Martinsville, Virginia lost his job back in August, his kids lost their health care. When he broke the news to his family, his nine year-old son handed over his piggy bank with $4 in it, and told him, "Daddy, if you need it, you take it."

This is not who we are. We are not a nation that leaves struggling families to fend for themselves. No child in America should be receiving her primary care in the emergency room in the middle of the night. No child should be falling behind at school because he can't hear the teacher or see the blackboard. I refuse to accept that millions of our kids fail to reach their full potential because we fail to meet their basic needs. In a decent society, there are certain obligations that are not subject to tradeoffs or negotiation – health care for our children is one of those obligations.

That is why we have passed this legislation to continue coverage for seven million children, cover an additional four million children in need, and finally lift the ban on states providing insurance to legal immigrant children if they choose to do so. Since it was created more than ten years ago, the Children's Health Insurance Program has been a lifeline for millions of kids whose parents work full time, and don't qualify for Medicaid, but through no fault of their own don't have – and can't afford – private insurance. For millions of kids who fall into that gap, CHIP has provided care when they're sick and preventative services to help them stay well. This legislation will allow us to continue and build on these successes.

But this bill is only a first step. The way I see it, providing coverage to 11 million children through CHIP is a down payment on my commitment to cover every single American. And it is just one component of a much broader effort to finally bring our health care system into the twenty-first century. That's where the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that is now before Congress comes in.

Think about this – if Congress passes this recovery plan, in just one month, we'll have done more to modernize our health care system than we've done in the past decade.

We'll be on our way to computerizing all of America's medical records, which won't just eliminate inefficiencies, save billions of dollars and create tens of thousands of jobs – but will save lives by reducing deadly medical errors. We'll have made the single largest investment in prevention and wellness in history – tackling problems like smoking and obesity, and helping people live longer, healthier lives. And we'll have extended health insurance for the unemployed, so that workers who lose their jobs don't lose their health care too.

Now, in the past few days I've heard criticisms of this plan that echo the very same failed theories that helped lead us into this crisis – the notion that tax cuts alone will solve all our problems; that we can address this enormous crisis with half-steps and piecemeal measures; that we can ignore fundamental challenges like the high cost of health care and still expect our economy and our country to thrive.

I reject these theories, and so did the American people when they went to the polls in November and voted resoundingly for change. So I urge members of Congress to act without delay. No plan is perfect, and we should work to make it stronger. But let's not make the perfect the enemy of the essential. Let's show people all over our country who are looking for leadership in this difficult time that we are equal to the task. Let's give America's families the support they need to weather this crisis.

In the end, that's really all that folks like the Secrests are looking for – the chance to work hard, and to have that hard work translate into a good life for their kids. I'm pleased to report that their story had a happy ending – it turned out that Gregory's two sons were eligible for CHIP, and they are now fully covered, much to his relief. I think Gregory put it best when he said: "Kids look at us and think 'they'll take care of us.' That is our job – to keep them safe and healthy."

That's what I think about when I tuck my own girls into bed each night. That is what I want for every child – and every family – in this nation. That's why it is so important that Congress passes our recovery plan – so we can get to work rebuilding America's health care system.

It won't be easy – and it won't happen all at once. But the bill I sign today is a critical first step. So I want to thank all the state and local officials, advocates and ordinary citizens across America who've fought so hard to pass it. I want to thank all the members of Congress who have worked so tirelessly, for so long, so that we could see this day. And I want you all to know that I am confident that if we come together, and work together, we can finally achieve what generations of Americans have fought for and fulfill the promise of health care in our time.

Thank you.

[inesje88]

When my husband lost his job 2 years ago, I tried to receive this program for our young son. I was just recovering from major surgery and unable to work. I applied 12 x and was turned down(all accounting errors on their part). While at a meeting at my son''s school, found out he could not go on field trips because he lacked health insurance. There are numerous kids at this school, undocumented-even admitted by the parents, and they all had SCHIP.The tests scores at this school were very low and my son''s scores were extremely high, so they needed his scores to make the schools average look better. The school helped us get in. Now, 2 years later, my husband has a new job, but no bennies, and pt, but we got dropped by SCHIP because in December he made $400 too much(the rest of the year we were way below).Now his hrs have been cut again, and the program screwed up the accounting again. Undocumented kids get in easier than American children. Why is that?

[mattcat25]

"Socialism"
"Socialism"
"Socialism"

This is the constant mantra of the failed right wing and their so-called "FREE-MARKET" manipulated/corrupted Medical Insurance industry.

If, the Republicans had not supported the Major Pharmaceutical Corporations and Big Insurance Companies in the fleecing of Americans the United States wouldn''t have to have State Controlled Programs.

???

[taxed01]

If these families cared so much about THEIR kids (not mine) why didn''t they shut off the baby factory when they reached the point where they could no longer afford to pay for more kids. The reason is: they know the government will tax somebody else to pay for everything they are responsible for, including food, housing and this latest expansion of the health care "give away".
If they can%u2019t feed them they shouldn%u2019t be breeding them. By %u201Cfeed%u201D I mean pay for all the children%u2019s needs that they, as parents, are responsible for. To paraphrase Obama: "hard to overstate the toll this takes on TAXPAYERS"

[endurorob]

So we''''re supposed to feel good about this massive expansion of goverment because it''''s "for the kids." In reality, the march to socialism just picked up steam. God help us.

Posted by renojmc at 07:06 AM : Feb 05, 2009

Making the smokers pay for it all (I quit 6 years ago) is ridiculus. Another 61 cents in taxes on a pack of smokes. If you are paying $4 for a pack $3.50 is probably taxes. I wonder if our politician geniuses understand that most smokers are lower income and quitting smoking is a very difficult thing to do especially in stressful times. So lower icome people are going to have to pay more for their cigs and that will leave less for their kids. This is a genius plan. By the way I hear there is something in the spending bill that provides relief for the tobacco growers.

[renojmc]

So we''re supposed to feel good about this massive expansion of goverment because it''s "for the kids." In reality, the march to socialism just picked up steam. God help us.

[ciger-2009]

The N work has be replaced by the C word.
We can give billions to wall street and banks without increasing taxes.
NOW we are going to provide health care for children.
Lets use that as a good reason to kick the Cigarette smoke and increase their cost by another dollar a pack. They can stand outside in negative 20 degree weather in a snow storm and pay more for the privilege.

[joule18]

I''m going to tell my son to stop paying for the expensive health insurance on his kids since I will be taxed to pay for everyone elses including the illegals.

[joule18]

When the Bush tax cuts are allowed to lapse, everyone''s taxes will go up since all tax rates were cut.

Since when has the economy grown from the bottom up? Those that are rich will continue to be rich and have already paid taxes on that money, but they won''t invest it in companies and jobs if it causes excess taxes plus the other risks associated with businesses.

[indreb]

response to -chitownfire1-
1. If Bush went to congress without all of the info. Then your saying Congress voted to authorize the use of force knowing they didn''t have all the information? Okay so WOW that would make congress just as guilty!
2. Okay so you do have apoint there. Only problem is; if it wasn''t a "War", why did the Congress and Senate call it a WAR FUNDING Bill?? So, I guess we should all be calling it an authorization of force conflict then! When "Jesus"--oh I mean NoBama said he will end the War in Iraq in the debates he should have been corrected!
3. Wait a second you just called it a war? I thought you said it wasn''t a war? Um so make up your mind! My point was all the Dems ran on the platform of elect me and I will end the "War" oops I mean Authorization of Force Conflict. But yet two and a half years later nothing has changed.
4. Nowhere did I say that the troops could pack up and be home by dinner time. The proccess could have been started. We could have started gearing up for the withdrawl. I thought Obama was elected to fix the Mortgage crises, and end the war. Instead he is worrying about infrastructure, and closing Gitmo.

Place blame were it is deserved. Bush didn''t plan the war properly. He didn''t listen to his Generals, and he was hard headed, but Congress authorized the "Conflict" Plain and simple.

[hdc77494]

So now Obama has added several million kids to medicaid type health care and medicare level payments to care providers.
No citizenship documantation is required, and the families that qualify could buy private insurance for their kids (above poverty level incomes) but choose not to. About two million kids are expected to drop private insurance and be covered by the government. This isn''t a safety net. This is a deliberate attempt to swell the number of people getting their health care costs paid for by the government. No debate? No discussion? no limits? The dems stealth care plan, which will never go away, and never be fully funded has now been added to your personal share of the national debt. Thank you so much morons.