House Votes To Expand Health Care For Kids

Bill Gives Insurance To 4 Million More Children By Upping Federal Taxes On Cigarettes

(AP)  The House voted Wednesday to expand government-sponsored health care to 4 million more children of working families, making a down payment on President-elect Barack Obama's promise to provide universal health care to all Americans who want it.

After the bill's passage, Mr. Obama said he hoped the Senate acts with the "same sense of urgency so that it can be one of the first measures I sign into law when I am president."

"In this moment of crisis, ensuring that every child in America has access to affordable health care is not just good economic policy, but a moral obligation we hold as parents and citizens," Mr. Obama said.

The bill, passed by an overwhelming 289 to 139 vote, would increase federal taxes on cigarettes by 61 cents to a dollar a pack to pay the $32.3 billion cost of expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program for the next 4½ years. Departing President George W. Bush vetoed similar legislation twice in 2007

"Soon we will have a new president who has committed himself to reforming our nation's health care system so every American can access affordable and quality health care." said Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J. "The bill we are considering today makes a down-payment on that promise."

About 7 million children from working families with too much income to qualify for Medicaid now get government-sponsored health care.

The Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to begin writing a similar bill Thursday. Some Senate Republicans complain that the House bill expands coverage to include up to 600,000 non-citizen children of legal immigrants.

The Congressional Budget Office projected that nearly 83 percent of the 4.1 million uninsured children who would gain coverage if the bill becomes law are in families with incomes below current eligibility limits. About 700,000 children would gain coverage because their states broadened eligibility.

Republicans also noted that an estimated 2.4 million children currently with private coverage would end up in SCHIP.

They also objected to the additional spending.

"The kids will have to pay through the nose for the things we are doing today," said Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind. "We don't have the money to do all these things."

"Forty days in Iraq equals over 10 million children in America insured for one year," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "We certainly can afford to do that."

Opponents also said the tobacco tax increase would not be enough to keep pace with the growing costs of health care. As a result, lawmakers down the road will have to cut children from the program or increase taxes. They said the latter option is more likely.

"The Democrats are blowing a giant cloud of smoke into the face of the American taxpayers, and I believe the impending tax increases that must come to cover this program will have us all in a severe coughing fit," said Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich.

SCHIP was created in 1997 to provide health coverage for children in families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private insurance. The program was authorized for 10 years. Congress extended the program temporarily through March 31.

The measure passed by the House included a provision that would expand coverage to children of legal immigrants as well as pregnant immigrants.

Current law requires a five-year waiting period before legal immigrants become eligible for coverage under Medicaid and SCHIP. Supporters say expanding coverage would mean children could get treatment for acute conditions like asthma and diabetes so they were less likely to need care in an emergency room.

"These are not illegal immigrants. They are children who go to school, go to daycare with our children, our grandchildren," said Rep. Gene Green R-texas. "Those children ought to have health care."

Passage of the bill follows House votes last week on two labor bills that Democrats also hope to send to the White House in the early days of the Obama administration. One bill reverses a Supreme Court decision that put strict time limits on when a worker can seek redress for pay discrimination and the other specifies that victims of pay discrimination can get compensatory and punitive damages in court.

The Senate is to vote Thursday on taking up the first bill, named for Lilly Ledbetter, a former worker at a tire company factory in Alabama who was denied compensation because she was not aware for years that she was receiving less pay than her male co-workers.

[dubya_luvr]

The future children will pay enormouslly for this and that is just a *** shame.

Posted by peace4321 at 03:57 PM : Jan 14, 2009

Funny, I never hear Republicans do this sort of atonal screeching over all the money BushCo simply LOST in Iraq, or the fact that he didn''t veto even ONE budget request while Republicans were in power.

The bottom line is most Republicans don''t care if your kid dies from lack of health care. It''s every man for himself, even if that "man" happens to be an infant.

Is it any wonder they lost the general election by the greatest margin in history (measured by margin of popular votes?)

[dubya_luvr]

dubya_luvr ; Get off your pathetic soap box..your team won the battle, not the war. If you ever were in the military that means more than your stupid insane rant

Posted by peace4321 at 04:17 PM : Jan 14, 2009

Awwwww! Did I hit a nerve with the whiny neocon at the group home?

Face facts. You are a group of selfish, closed-minded losers whose convictions are as paper-thin as your bumper-stickers.

Pro-life...until you''re born, then you''re free to go die of a treatable condition.

Fiscally conservative...as long as your definition of "conservation" includes raiding the public coffers to enrich Republican donors.

Pious...except for the parts of the bible about peace, love and helping the poor. Those passages must have been added later by communists.

Spare me.

[enviro_wacko]

Hey, didn''t Bush veto this once or twice.

See, Change!

[enviro_wacko]

Hey, didn''''t Bush veto this once or twice?

See, Change!

Posted by enviro_wacko at 04:38 PM : Jan 14, 2009

Or is this too "socialist" for your taste?

[enviro_wacko]

How many southern white trash state congressmen voted against this bill? The old confederacy has always been a culture of death!

Posted by ConDumbistan at 04:12 PM : Jan 14, 2009

Cataloging Republican obstruction will be very important for 2010 and 2012. I might have to put up a site to display this at some point.

[drivelphobe]

This is truly the end of reason. The Democrats are in charge and they are going to ruin this country. Why would they, in this time of massive economic upheaval, pass another entitlement program to be abused, costing billions.

We are heading to massive unemployment, rampant poverty, and civil unrest. The American citizen is in the back of the line, while illegals and under functioning populations reap an undeserved harvest of aid and subsistence.

I am tired of sharing my earned income with losers, druggies, bums and thieves. Medical care is not a right. No tickee, no washee.

[b4ucmyi]

The "kids" can be 25 yr old illegal aliens. As long as they clean Bush''s pool and tote out the Kennedy gin bottles, they''ll get benefits.

[allzwell]

Posted by TexHillGirl at 05:56 PM : Jan 14, 2009

Scrooge!

[babooph]

I hope this can be stopped so there are more funds for deeper tax cuts for the rich & more losing wars-it''s the Chriatian thing to do.

[maedean]

Lets just make sure it goes to kids of parents that are citizens. Not the little brown border jumpers!!

[enviro_wacko]

Makes e feel soooooooooooooooooooooooooo good that kids get that need it and the rich Republicans can help pay.

Posted by Texhillman99 at 06:08 PM : Jan 14, 2009

Sarcasm noted. Why do Republicans hate children?

[enviro_wacko]

House Votes To Expand Health Care For Kids, Jesus Nutballs screech that it takes money away from their Jews in Palestine and will delay the "prophecy".

Posted by FloydZeppd at 07:35 PM : Jan 14, 2009

That is insanely funny but true too. These so called fundamentalist will act out Bible prophesy just to assuage their hurt prides for being wrong all the time about everything.

Currently, real historians are beginning to doubt that Jesus ever really existed think he may be more constructed from folklore like King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

[tburzio]

Hawaii recently had to stop their child health care program. Strangely enough, when health care was available for free no one (even though they had it before) could afford to pay for it themselves and the program went bankrupt.

Of course, just because it didn''t work before doesn''t mean you can''t try it again. It''s only money.

[enviro_wacko]

Hawaii recently had to stop their child health care program. Strangely enough, when health care was available for free no one (even though they had it before) could afford to pay for it themselves and the program went bankrupt.

Of course, just because it didn''''t work before doesn''''t mean you can''''t try it again. It''''s only money.

Posted by tburzio at 07:50 PM : Jan 14, 2009

Oh, so since Hawaii''s program was mismanaged, you think it''s a waste of money to help children who really need it. Here goes some more classical Republican illogic.

[whitemale08]

The best way for the government to expand healthcare for kids is ban all GMO foods that poison children in the first place.

Read the labels of any grocery item you pick up and unless it has natural ingredients it''s not food at all.

Instead what we consume is ''synthetic plastics'' designed to be edible by the scientists/eugenisists who work for these international con-glomerates.

The member banks that make up the private Federal Reserve System own primary shares of these corporations because they were the under-writers of their mergers and aquisitions or stock when their debut IPO hit Wall Street many decades ago.

We are being poisoned folks.

Look at the protruding bellies of your families and neighbors.

Now look at pictures of how healthy people lived back before ''globalization'' went wild and rampant.

Your stomach cannot breakdown plastics.

And yet that is what we consume everyday at McDonalds and at the super-market.

I dare the government ban processed food for 1 month.

If they did you will see people lose weight and look healthy all of a sudden with no excercise.

[flsunjnky]

No doubt, Texhillman99

[flsunjnky]

I don''t see any of her posts on here, where do you get that, Texhillman99?

[rf35]

Posted by whitemale08...
Put your tin foil hat back on and go to bed. I don''t know about the rest of you, but I don''t recall ever having krapped plastic. My food undergoes a significant change in appearance from entry to exit.

The insane taxes are one reason I quit smoking. Add another dollar per pack and a lot more people will follow. Then how will you pay for this? Tobacco taxes are not the answer. Maybe taxing high-fat, high-calorie junk food would help. Also, before I support this there must be strong controls in place to prevent benefits from going to illegal immigrants. Legal, OK, but not the illegals!

[renojmc]

This is just more of the socialist democrat agenda, employing the emotion of "helping the kids." Healthcare is not a right and never has been in America. It''s a parent''s responsibility to provide for their kids, including health care. This notion that the government needs to meet the increasing needs of the population is a very slippery slope and must stop now.

[irmcvet971]

Something the libturd media will never tell you about the above....

This is how libturds like NObama and all the other neo-Marxist DumboCrapheads destroy America....

By whittling around the edges so few will notice....

Eventually it all collapses....

Which is their ultimate goal.

Posted by I_H_Libturds at 08:17 AM : Jan 15, 2009

IS there something you, the members of the National Alliance of Zero Intelligence, do NOT understand about WE the PEOPLE? You clowns act like WE the PEOPLE did NOT know this wasn''t going to happen. You act like We the PEOPLE did NOT intend for this to happen. GROW UP! The MESSAGE of WE the PEOPLE was a simple one. We want the DIRECTION of this nation turned AWAY from Trickle Down... IT NEVER EVER trickles down Sparky.. NEVER HAS, NEVER WILL. Geezzzz but the N.A.Z.I Party is what it says.

[irmcvet971]

is is just more of the socialist democrat agenda, employing the emotion of "helping the kids." Healthcare is not a right and never has been in America. It''''s a parent''''s responsibility to provide for their kids, including health care. This notion that the government needs to meet the increasing needs of the population is a very slippery slope and must stop now.

Posted by renojmc at 07:20 AM : Jan 15, 2009

Why?? You say improving the WORST health care system in the Nation should stop NOW, why? You say this is a slippery slope. Slippery slope to where? When a Nation is paying MORE for Health Care than ANY Country on the PLANET and covering LESS with those dollars, it would appear to me that PROGRESS IS needed. Sieg Heil Y''all.

[vsg4]

"It''''s a parent''''s responsibility to provide for their kids, including health care. This notion that the government needs to meet the increasing needs of the population is a very slippery slope and must stop now.

Posted by renojmc at 07:20 AM : Jan 15, 2009"

When job a gone and health insurance gone comes COBRA payment of $1100. With un employment check of $1200, pay COBRA and provide health care insurance and fatten the Health care industry. That is what you say right?

I know a family and their child''s medicine costs $1500 a month. And go shop around for health insurance after losing job/health insurance. That is what your/GOP( as Bush vetoed SCHIP two times) solution is.

[arnoldbowers]

WHY DID THEY INCLUDE THE CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS WHO ARE NOT CITIZENS OF OUR COUNTRY. THIS IS STUPID TO HAVE TO PAY FOR ANOTHER COUNTRYS FAILUES AND NOT BE ABLE TO COLLECT IT BACK, HERE THE LIBERAL CONGRESS BOWING DOWN TO THE ILLEGAL AND THE MEXICANS IN GENERAL TO KISS SOMETHING OTHER THAN THEIR FEET IT IS LOW WHAT THEY WILL BE KISSING BUT IT IS BELOW THE BELT AND ABOVE THE KNEES. SHAME ON THEM FOR NOT HONORING THE VETERANS WHO FOUGHT FOR THE FREEDOM OF THE "CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTRY AND NOT THE ILLEGAL ALIENS WHO COME DUE TO LACK OF GOVERNMENT PROTECTION"
The best of good byes Frank Bowers of Austin, TX

[bobbyduck1]

Article says: The measure passed by the House included a provision that would expand coverage to children of legal immigrants....

arnoldbowers post at 10:17: WHY DID THEY INCLUDE THE CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS WHO ARE NOT CITIZENS OF OUR COUNTRY

Apparently the ability to actually read an article is not a neocon trait....even the Republican Gene Green speaks up in favour of the LEGAL immigrant children who this will help.

No wonder they voted Bush in once after he stole it the first time....

[lloydbest1]

"I am tired of sharing my earned income with losers, druggies, bums and thieves. Medical care is not a right. No tickee, no washee." Posted by drivelphobe at 05:42 PM : Jan 14, 2009
"Healthcare is not a right and never has been in America." Posted by renojmc at 07:20 AM : Jan 15, 2009

Both of you are telling me that millions of Americans who work a whole lot harder than you or I do, do not deserve adequate medical treatment because they are low income? Is that what I''m reading? Am I to understand that one''s health and possibly survivability is contingent on being able to afford it? You''re telling me that for most hardworking folks their only health plan is not get sick in the first place?
Yeah, I get a little impatient with "losers, druggies, bums and thieves", too. But the vast, overwhelming majority of folks who need medical care and can''t afford it are butt-busters just like you and me. The welfare queens and system milkers make up only a tiny fraction of those in need.
If we can afford to spend 80 billion per month on a B.S. war that neither we nor the insurgents can win, then I think we can spend a tenth of that to start funding a single payer system of health care that will end up costing us a lot less in taxes than we (or our employers) pay in premiums. Medical care IS a right and should not be contingent on affordability.