Senate Passes Children's Health Plan

Democrats, Republicans Unite To Boost Insurance Program, Defying Bush Veto Threat

(AP)  The Senate passed legislation Thursday to add 3 million lower-income children to a popular health insurance program in bipartisan defiance of President Bush's threatened veto.

The 68-31 vote, one day after the House passed a more ambitious and expensive version over bitter Republican opposition, handed Democrats a solid achievement to trumpet as they leave Washington for a summer break.

It also gave Democrats, who secured a veto-proof margin, a chance to draw a stark distinction between their priorities and Bush's on an issue that resonates with voters.

“For the life of me, I can't understand why the president would want to veto this legislation,” said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., the Finance Committee chairman. “It's moderate, it's bipartisan, it helps low-income kids. ... It's just the right thing to do for the country.”

Bush has proposed spending $5 billion to extend the State Children's Health Insurance Program. He says the Senate's $35 billion expansion would balloon the decade-old program beyond its original mission of covering working poor children and would move more people toward government-run health care.

The program expires Sept. 30.

The Senate measure now must be reconciled with the House-passed $50 billion expansion, which was paid for partly by cutting government payments to Medicare health maintenance organizations.

Both bills include hefty tax increases on tobacco products to pay for the spending increase.

Architects of the legislation “have seized the reauthorization of SCHIP as a license to raise taxes, increase spending and take a giant leap forward into the land of government-run health care,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the minority leader.

He was one of 31 Republicans to oppose the measure, while 18 Republicans joined 48 Democrats and two independents to support it.

The health program is designed to subsidize the cost of insurance for children whose families earn too much to participate in Medicaid, but not enough to afford private health insurance.

Through federal waivers, the program has expanded in many states to include middle-income children and adults. That has led Republicans to argue that it has become a backdoor way to extend government-provided health care to an increasing number of people.

National polls show overwhelming majorities of voters support expanding the children's health program and are more likely to support candidates who back it.

[tbweb]

No one has answered me yet. What is the "cut off" age for Children? Please don't say 23.

Posted by gunnerv1 at 12:39 PM : Aug 03, 2007,,,

Not only is the cut off age 22, but each State gets to define "Children" and Adults can be added in addition to illegals and their kids in special cases due to language loopholes. Using the term "Children's Health Plan" is very deceptive for the people who actually read this Bill in detail. The Bill is a wolf in sheep's clothes to experts! Now we can longer trust what they name a Bill, it must be examined like never before, very clever disguise.

[keithle1]

Way to go, team. I'm pleasantly surprised. Republicans... You gotta luv 'em.
"...bitter Republican opposition..."
Could they be any more clueless? Are you trying to lose the White House in 2008 to the Dems?
If so, carry on. More, more, more.

I think it's outrageous that they would even consider taxing tobacco products. How dare they.
I just bought a ton of Phillip Morris stock.
Cigarettes are fine. They don't cause health problems. No one dies from smoking Camels. As if.

"...the Senate's $35 billion expansion"
What does that work out to be? Three months of what we pay for Iraq/Afghanistan? At about $12 billion a month?

Of course we just might have had more money to fund pressing domestic issues/problems (there are a few so I have been told) if we hadn't invaded Iraq. Did we ever find those "weapons of mass destruction"?

[actornaught]

ok, you're incapable addressing anything but how much of a quasi-illiterate jerk you are.

read & comprehend, instead of spouting unrelated talking points garbage.

[mbcsmith]

e.g.: Christian charity demands that we take care of society's weak and poor. Christian ethics also makes a good case that we take care of EVERYBODY.
Posted by actornaught at 01:56 PM : Aug 03, 2007

The Soviets tried COMMUNISM and it didn't work. However, hugo chavez has a place at the table for you.

[twylacrat]

We can't be giving away health care to American children. We've got rebuild Iraq and make sure they are taken care of first. Then, we've got to make sure Haliburton makes billions. Don't forget all those tax cuts for our millionaires. What do these kids think, we're made out of money?

[actornaught]

holy crud, mbc', NOBODY said the constitution gave us a right to health care. NOBODY. (Although it should, and probably will someday.)

You're taking a general statement and fantasizing an oversimplified context for it. The statement required 'thought'.

e.g.: Christian charity demands that we take care of society's weak and poor. Christian ethics also makes a good case that we take care of EVERYBODY.

[mbcsmith]

The prblem with conservatives is that they don't understand the spirit of the Constitution or the Bible.
Posted by realpatriot1 at 09:51 AM : Aug 03, 2007


Please inform me which article of the constitution or verse of the bible entitles everyone to free health care.

[gunnerv1]

No one has answered me yet. What is the "cut off" age for Children? Please don't say 23.

[ckcool192001]

You know what is so great about this legislation? For once...even if bush does Veto the bill, the bill will be made law by a congressional overide. I wonder if this makes Bush feel? Bush will probably cry because he can't kill this bill. Maybe this could start a trend...I would be nice to see a few more congressional overides on bills Bush wants to veto.

[tejasdemo]

EXCELLENT WORK DEMOCRATS !!!!!!!!!!!!