Bush Talks Compromise On Kids' Health Bill

But President Offers No Specifics In His Weekly Radio Address

(AP)  President Bush signaled a willingness Saturday to spend more than what he had recommended for a popular children's health program, but provided no specifics on how much higher he would go.

The president on Wednesday vetoed legislation that would increase spending for the State Children's Health Insurance Program by $35 billion over five years. Bush has called for a $5 billion increase. Several Republicans in both chambers have sided with Democratic lawmakers on the issue.

"If putting poor children first takes a little more than the 20 percent increase I have proposed in my budget for SCHIP, I am willing to work with leaders in Congress to find the additional money," Bush said in his weekly radio address.

Democratic lawmakers say votes to override the president's veto will be held in mid-October. That effort is not expected to succeed.

The program provides health insurance to children in families with incomes too great for Medicaid eligibility but not enough to afford private insurance.

Bush used his radio address to once again make the case that he believes the spending increase sought primarily by Democrats is a step "toward their goal of government-run health care for every American."

"Government-run health care would deprive Americans of the choice and competition that comes from the private market," he said. "It would cause huge increases in government spending."

While the government does heavily subsidize the health coverage offered through the program, most SCHIP beneficiaries get coverage through private insurers who contract with states. That was a point stressed by Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., majority leader in the House, when he provided the Democratic radio address Saturday.

"The truth is, America's largest private insurance lobbying group supports this bill - as do America's doctors, nurses, children's advocates and, most importantly, 72 percent of Americans," Hoyer said.

The president also said the bill moving through Congress needs to move adults off the program. However, his administration has approved waivers that allowed some states to cover adults.

"In fact, based on their own projections for this fiscal year, Minnesota, Illinois, New Jersey, Michigan, Rhode Island and New Mexico will spend more SCHIP money on adults than they do on children," Bush said. "And that is not the purpose of the program."

The bill passed by Congress does call for gradually giving states less federal matching money when covering certain adults. It also says the administration cannot grant any new waivers to states that want to cover adults through SCHIP.

The president noted that his administration has added more than 2 million children to the SCHIP rolls since 2001.

Hoyer often cited Republicans to make his point that the bill is bipartisan.

"As Senator Pat Roberts, a strong Republican from Kansas, recently said: 'I am not for excessive spending and strongly oppose the federalization of health care. And if the administration's concerns with this bill were accurate, I would support a veto.' But Senator Roberts added: 'Bluntly put, they are not.'"

[kansas1946]

Flip...flop...flip...flop..

[tucano2]

Get the illegal aliens and their families deported, Mr. Bush, the way the law says that you ought to have been doing for years and years, and you will have no excuse at all to have any sort of S-CHIP boondoogle.

[pastdue1]

The American Medical Assoc., America''s Health Insurance Plans, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America are not supporters of socialized medicine; however they are supporters of the new SCHIP legislation.

"It''''s simply an attempt to sneak single-payer socialized health care past the voters.
Posted by hawksprings at 11:48 AM : Oct 08, 2007
+ report abuse

Are you sure of your information, hawksprings, or are you simply parroting what someone has told you?

[adventurepa]

To help fund the 35 Billion for America''s kids the republicans could always reduce troops and supplies to Iraq and some of the $190b going to Iraq this year!!!!!!!

Republicans are a dieing breed.
$190b going to Iraq for killing
or
35 Billion to save a few kids and hard working Americans money on Health Insurance.

You stupid Republicans just don''t get it!
You could have saved your ***** by switching to Geico Insurance!

[thgdriver]

Free health care for those making 83,000.00 a year? Sure why not. Just because the live in a good neighborhood, in a home they knew they could not afford when they bought it, two fancy cars in the garage. Lets get the taxpayer to foot the bill for their offspring''s health care. More Demonratic tax and spend freebies, step right up, right this way!

[tnt1954]

mr. bush, when you are really sick, you don''t
care if the health care comes from God Himself,
because of prayer, a witch doctor, the government
or the richest doctor in history, you just wanna
get well. preventitive medicine is nice. so
is pre-emptive law enforcement like locking
everyone up in single cells, with androids delivering
the food, so we can all be safe. i smoke three
packs a day, i''m 56, and lucky. i don''t mind
paying another 60 dollars a month to help a
kid stay alive and feel better. just sign the
stupid bill, and stop splitting hairs. let''s
get well and stay well. cigarettes make me well.
if i don''t get them, i get sick. they used
to say that most doctors prefer chesterfields, non-filters in 1940''s advertising. scientists always
change their minds. some people are totally
devoted to a high cholesterol diet and live to 100.
sober nations has spoken. i knew a guy 73 advise
me how to live long. drink a quart of scotch a day,
and smoke two packs a day. he was the best salesman
in the office, i was only 25, lost to him each
month in the sales race. i finally took his advice.
and ended up at AA. lol. i do hereby promise to
smoke and drink coffee. only. lol

[afmca]

Millions lose their health insurance yearly. Millions more cannot afford to purchase health insurance. If you have a pre-existing condition you may as well roll over and die. The pro-life Repubs will be the first to shovel the dirt on top.

These people with health care are a tax on the middle class and the companies that continue health insurance since sick people will continue to go to emergency room after waiting for their illness to get worse. This care cpomes out of those premiums. The Repubs don''t like this solutions because it takes tax payer money away from their true constituents - welfare corporations. Big Tobacco hates it because they love their tax subsidies while continuing to sell a product that murders and sickens millions yearly. Again the middle class is stuck with that bill. Unless we get serious about changing how we parcel out health care, American corporations will continue to shed their responsibilities during bankruptcy. America will sooner or later have socialized medicine or the majority will have none at all. Then the police state Bush and Cheney are building will be needed to control the population.

[hawksprings]

SCHIP is a tax bomb designed to go off at the end of the 5 years. Look in to it a little before you blast Bush.
It''s simply an attempt to sneak single-payer socialized health care past the voters.

[frankly6]

Why do Bush and the Republicans hate investing in children and love investing in war?

[tucano2]

Since almost all who receive these benefits funded by US taxpayers are actually Illegal Aliens the correct approach is to deport the Illegal Aliens and their extended families. This would of course leave plenty of funding for the few Americans in the program.

[crater7]

the 72% support you say this bill has is bougas:

OF COURSE SOME OF THE 28% BUSH DIE-HARD SUPPORTERS WILL FIND A WAY TO DISTORT THIS POLL OUTCOME.

72% SAYS THEY SUPPORT THE INCREASE IN SPENDING FOR THE CHILD CARE. TWIST IT ANYWAY YOU LIKE, ASK IT AGAIN, AND THE RESULT WILL STILL BE THE SAME. IF YOU PREFER, MAYBE IT SHOULD BE WORDED;" 28% ARE AGAINST THE BILL". THE RESULTS ARE STILL THE SAME.

STAY THE COURSE............

[jjp735i]

See factcheck.og for "Bush''s False Claims About Children''s Health Insurance"

[realpatriot1]

The only time that Bush talks about compromise is when key Republicans in Congress are talking about siding with Democrats against him.

He''s attempting to save face.

likeitis,

Even if a 25 year old would qualify for this coverage(which I don''t necessarily accept just
because you say it), the typical WORKING 25 year
old can''t afford health premiums.

The government has to help out the middle class because the vaunted Republican God of the private sector can''t deliver the goods in an affordable fashion.

If Republicans have decided after 26 years of
constant fiscal irrsponsibilty to get serious about controlling wasteful spending, why not go after Haliburton or Blackwater or the cost-overrunning
unnecessary opulent Palace of an Embassy being constructed in Baghdad?

Why start with something that the American people desparately need?

Those of us who pay taxes but can''t afford to go to the doctor and who think this Iraqi occupation is a collosal waste of precious resources(most importantly, our troops)want to know.

[s1ckd09]

The 72% support you say this bill has is bogus. The poll question was bogus, misleading, and guaranteed to produce a certain outcome. The way this bill is said to be funded is extremely over-simplified, ignoring the amount of tax needed and the fact that funding this program on cigarette taxes alone is UNSUSTAINABLE: The amount of smokers is decreasing every year, yet the funding will have to increase over time. Also, the opponents'' view is over-simplified. Here''s the poll question:

9. There''s a proposal to increase federal spending on children''s health insurance by 35 billion dollars over the next five years. It would be funded by an increase in cigarette taxes. (Supporters say this would provide insurance for millions of low-income children who are currently uninsured.) (Opponents say this goes too far in covering children in families that can afford health insurance on their own.) Do you support or oppose this increased funding for this program? Do you feel that way strongly or somewhat?

[abbe91]

"The entire reason for vetoing this bill was to satisfy the tobacco and the insurance lobbies.
Posted by pastdue1 at 10:04 AM : Oct 07, 2007"

Exactly. Some people seem to forget (?) that the first version of the bill proposed to get the funding from tobacco taxes AND by cutting subsidies to health care private companies. Why, to start with, do private companies need public taxpayer money to run their business ? Sounds like socialized free market to me ...

[afmca]

Hopefully Democrats will give the raised middle finger to Bush''s request for compromise. I would immediately vote for the override. If the Repubs decide that being loyal to their idiot President is more important than healthcare for children, let them show their true colors. The pro-life party is really pro-birth and then afterwards pro-death - they are hypocrites. Instead of the $1 tax on cigarettes (which is really GOOD) I would take $35 Billion for his Iraqi War request. Let Haliburton and Blackwater get their blood money another way.

[crater7]

Bush talks compromise on kids health bill;


COMPROMISE, YEAH, RIGHT, BUSH IS JUST TRYING TO SAVE ANOTHER OF HIS POLITICAL BLUNDERS. 72% WHANTS THE CHILD HEALTH CARE BILL.

SOME REPUBLICANS ARE BAFFELED:

BUSH HAS BAFFLED MOST AMERICANS FOR ALMOST SEVEN YEARS, WITH HIS BLUNDERING INCOMPETENT, ARRORGANT AND TOTAL DISREGARD FOR THE LAW, AND THE WISHES OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

THIS INMICAL STUNT TOPS THEM ALL. HE IS TRYING TO USE POOR CHILDREN AND THEIR WELL BEING, AS A MEANS OF POLITICAL CLOUT.

THESE BAFFELED REPUBLICANS SHOULD STAND UP TO THIS COWBOY BULLY, AND SAY ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

SUPPORT THE CHILDREN. PLAY POLITICS WITH ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR FAILED POLITICAL BLUNDERS.

STAY THE COURSE............

[tbweb]

Bow, yield, kneel and pledge eternal loyalty to Bush! LOL

[socrates392]

Posted by SgtRDS at 03:46 PM : Oct 07, 2007

Took the words right out of my mouth!

[sgtrds]

In Bush-speak compromise means do it my way. Over-ride this scum''s veto and prove to the world that America does care for the health of poor children, unlike Bush who doesn''t give a dam*n for anyone outside of his economic "class". He''s an elitist scum who learned to be one from his equally elitist scum mother Barbara.