Congress OKs Expansion Of Kids' Insurance

Lawmakers Add 4 Million Children To Health Program; President Bush Vows Veto

(AP)  Congress approved legislation Thursday adding 4 million children to a popular health care program, setting up a veto fight that President Bush probably will win but handing Democrats a campaign issue for next year's elections.

Eighteen Republicans in the Senate lined up with Democrats in voting 67-29 to increase spending on the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, from about $5 billion to $12 billion annually for the next five years.

The vote was enough to override a promised Bush veto. But supporters in the House, which passed the bill Tuesday, are about two dozen votes shy of an override. Both chambers would have to muster two-thirds majorities to win a veto showdown.

Overall, spending for SCHIP would increase to $60 billion over five years in the unlikely prospect the bill becomes law - double what President Bush recommended.

Analysts projected the legislation would allow about 4 million of the estimated 9 million uninsured children in the United States to gain coverage.

Bush and most GOP lawmakers say the spending increase is too large and would expand the program beyond its original intent. That intent was to help families with incomes too large to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford private insurance.

In statement after the Senate vote, the White House said Bush “will veto this bill because it directs scarce funding to higher incomes at the expense of poor families.”

Opponents of the measure said they support SCHIP, which was enacted a decade ago, and want to renew it before it is set to expire on Saturday. However, they said they could not go along with such a large spending increase.

Republicans braced for criticism that they were being insensitive to low-income children who are uninsured through no fault of their own. They said the legislation was an effort to score political points and another step toward universal health care paid for by the government.

“Democrats are counting down the hours so they can tee up the election ads saying Republicans don't like kids,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. “Meanwhile, they're using SCHIP as a Trojan horse to sneak government-run health care into the states.”

Democrats said there was strong public support for expanding the children's health care program. They portrayed the president as isolated in his view that the legislation would be a mistake.

“With each passing day, he reveals ever more clearly that the values of his administration are out of touch with those of average Americans,” said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass.

Some Republicans joined in that criticism. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said complaints about the bill bordered on hysteria, particularly complaints that the bill would expand government-subsidized coverage to families of four with incomes of up to $83,000.

“This is not a government takeover of health care. This is not socialized or nationalized medicine or anything like that,” Grassley said. “This is not bringing the Canadian health care system to America.”

The additional spending would be paid for through a 61-cent increase in the federal excise tax on a pack of cigarettes.

Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., said the tax could end up lowering future health care costs if it reduces smoking rates.

“Discourage smoking and you connect the habit with all the public health care costs that it imposes,” he said.

But Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., said the tax increase could lead to a drop in revenue to states that also rely on tobacco taxes.

Opponents also say they worry that expanding the program too much would lead to many families dropping private coverage. The Congressional Budget Office has projected that about 2 million children who otherwise would have private insurance would join SCHIP.

Anticipating a veto, Congress will continue funding SCHIP at its current level until mid-November as part of another bill keeping federal agencies in operating funds beyond Sept. 30.

The bill is HR 976.

[prairiefox1]

THEY WILL INCREASE THE FEDERAL TOBACCO TAX TO $1.00 PER PACK!
NOW THAT I KNOW, I WILL BE VOTING OTHER THAN DEMOCRAT!
THIS IS JUST THE START! NO LONGER WILL THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY BE FOR THE LITTLE MAN, BUT WORSE THAN WHAT WE HAVE NOW!

[getloud1]

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[s1ckd09]

Posted by twylacrat at 03:34 PM : Sep 28, 2007

Good, I''m glad you can go back to having the democrats fool for now on. You obviously have been fooled by this bill.

[twylacrat]

s1ckd09: You''re absolutely right. I''m so glad you agree that Bush is eeeeeevil. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. He won''t be fooling me ever again! I don''t believe one single word out of his stupid, lying mouth. He hasn''t told the truth in 7 years.

[abbe91]

"Why don''''t we give Halliburton a multi-billion dollar no-bid contract to run the children''''s heath care program? That''''s how you get them to support this. You just have to understand how they think.
Posted by Larrs08 at 09:39 AM : Sep 28, 2007"

That''s practically the way health care is operated now ...

[abbe91]

Repugs prefer ships rather than schip ...

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2007/10/01/071001ta_talk_hettena

[mcvett]

This is the first time I''ve ever known liberals to want the government to help the rich kids

LOL

[larrs08]

s1ckd09


You''re right. This money is much better spent in Iraq. If these kids want health care, let them go out and get jobs like everyone else.

[s1ckd09]

The Bottom Line for Bush, his neo-con allies, Republican in Congress and their family value hypocrits:

Iraq War - additional 190 Billion - YEA
Children''''s Health - additional 35 Billion - NAY

Disgusting!!!

Posted by afmca at 09:33 AM : Sep 28, 2007

Your oversimplification of this says volumes about your comprehension of this bill and it''s purpose. But keep spewing the same ol'' rhetoric and talking points. Ignore the facts.

[s1ckd09]

Statement of Purpose: To provide sufficient funding and incentives to increase the enrollment of uninsured children.
Vote Counts: YEAs 36
NAYs 60

What''s your point? The amendment increased the top age of the federal guideline (I think) from 18 to 19, and repealed one of the tax cuts for people with incomes of 1,000,000 or more. Those people would end up paying $396,000 in taxes. Currently, they pay $350,000 in taxes. Anybody who thinks the rich don''t pay their fare share is sadly mistaken.

[larrs08]

REPUBLICAN LOGIC:


Total, U.S. government funded health care for all Iraqis is a very good idea. Government subsidised care for the children of American poor and working poor is a very bad idea.

Borrowing at least a trillion dollars to invade and then rebuild, stabilize, and occupy Iraq indefinitely is a very good idea. Investing in our own crumbling infrastructure is a very bad idea.



Why don''t we give Halliburton a multi-billion dollar no-bid contract to run the children''s heath care program? That''s how you get them to support this. You just have to understand how they think.

[afmca]

The Bottom Line for Bush, his neo-con allies, Republican in Congress and their family value hypocrits:

Iraq War - additional 190 Billion - YEA
Children''s Health - additional 35 Billion - NAY

Disgusting!!!

[abbe91]

Statement of Purpose: To provide sufficient funding and incentives to increase the enrollment of uninsured children.
Vote Counts: YEAs 36
NAYs 60

NAYs ---60
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Byrd (D-WV)
Carper (D-DE)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCaskill (D-MO)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Nelson (D-NE)
Roberts (R-KS)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)
Webb (D-VA)
Wyden (D-OR)

[larrs08]

You libs make me sick! This is money we need to be spending in Iraq! Where are your priorities?! If these kids want health care, let them go out and get jobs like everyone else. Democraps are ruining this country!

[abbe91]

"So how do you put less money into the system and still expect to cover just as many people? That is what is wrong with this bill!
Posted by s1ckd09 at 09:02 AM : Sep 28, 2007"

That''s why funding only coming from tabacco taxes is not enough. But who''s responsible for the removal of the other source of funding ?

[s1ckd09]

"Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., said the tax could end up lowering future health care costs if it reduces smoking rates.

%u201CDiscourage smoking and you connect the habit with all the public health care costs that it imposes,%u201D he said."



Hmmm... So how does reducing smoking rates affect SCHIP coverage? The association between smokers and the kids that this bill exists for doesn''t exist, unless there''s some 5 year olds out there with a two pack a day habit. If you reduce the smoking rates, you reduce funding, since almost ALL this money is coming from tobacco taxes. But the number of beneficiaries of this program won''t decrease. So how do you put less money into the system and still expect to cover just as many people? That is what is wrong with this bill!

[abbe91]

"So explain why Congress voted down amendment to this bill that would have required the targeted poor children to be covered first before the "adults" could be covered."
Posted by s1ckd09 at 08:53 AM : Sep 28, 2007

I don''t have to explain it (besides, what you post is totally unrelated to my comment).
I disagree with it, like I disagree that taxpayer dollars could be used to subsidize PRIVATE companies and I think that the original version should have been kept. Do you think private companies should receive taxpayer money ?

[s1ckd09]

Of course, this administration would never direct funding to high incomes at the expense of poor families ... high incomes ? like corporations ?

Posted by abbe91 at 07:13 AM : Sep 28, 2007

So explain why Congress voted down amendment to this bill that would have required the targeted poor children to be covered first before the "adults" could be covered.

You''ve fallen for the rhetoric that "this is for the poor families" and that Bush most hate the poor if he opposes it. The FACTS are written in the bill, if you''ll read them. This expansion shifts focus away from the children who most this program was originally intended for.

[s1ckd09]

Posted by homespunlady at 01:44 AM : Sep 28, 2007

You seem to have a perspective problem. First, and I''m not trying to be a smart-a$$, I really don''t know... isn''t your military medical plan government run?
Second, life insurance, car insurance, and house insurance aren''t covered by your mom''s medicaid and medicare either is it?
Third, if you are concerned about loopholes, what do you think the government does? Medicare and Medicaid don''t cover "everything" and that coverage can change at anytime.

[abbe91]

"Opponents also say they worry that expanding the program too much would lead to many families dropping private coverage."

There we are ...