Children's Healthcare Bill Passes Senate

Bill - Twice Vetoed By Bush - Easily Passes Democrat-Controlled Senate; House Vote Expected Next Week

(CBS/AP)  The Democratic-controlled Congress moved a step closer to handing President Barack Obama an early health care victory Thursday as the Senate passed a bill extending government-sponsored health insurance coverage to about 4 million uninsured children.

The bill, which was approved 66-32, authorizes an additional $32.8 billion over the next 4 1/2 years for the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

"As the worsening economy causes families to lose their jobs and health insurance, it is vital that we redouble our efforts to ensure that every child in America has access to affordable health care," said President Obama. "That is why I am pleased that the Senate has joined the House in passing bipartisan legislation to provide health insurance to children whose families have been hurt most by this downturn."

"Providing health care to more than ten million children through the Children's Health Insurance Program will serve as a down payment on my commitment to ensure that every American has access to quality, affordable health care,” he added.

Even with the added spending, an estimated 5 million children still would be without health insurance. During his election campaign, Obama called for requiring all children to have health coverage.

"When President Obama signs this bill, the real victory will belong not to politicians, but to kids," said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont.

The bill pays for expanding SCHIP by increasing the federal excise tax on cigarettes from 39 cents to $1 a pack. Opponents argued that the tax would hit the poor the hardest.

The Democratic majority turned back Republican amendments to limit expansion of the program. Among the failed amendments were a prohibition on using federal money to cover children of newly arrived legal immigrants and a stricter income limit in some states for participating families.

Current law requires a five-year waiting period before legal immigrants become eligible for coverage under Medicaid and SCHIP. Democrats said that removing the ban would help children before small health problems became big ones.

"It is likely many of these children are already U.S. citizens and many will become U.S citizens, and their being unhealthy doesn't make sense for that family, and it certainly does not make sense for our nation." said Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill.

Support for expanding SCHIP has had bipartisan backing. In 2007, former President George W. Bush twice vetoed bills to expand the program. The Senate voted to override Bush, but the House fell about 15 votes short of an override.

Scores of interest groups have lined up in support of more money for SCHIP, including trade groups representing insurers, hospitals, doctors, unions and the pharmaceutical industry.

Some Republican senators complained that Democrats had worked closely with many of them on SCHIP in the past but had ignored them this year when crafting the bill.

"I think we could have had 95 votes," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. "That would have sent a tremendous, tremendous message that hasn't been sent around here for a long time.

Nine Republicans joined 57 Democrats in voting for the bill. No Democrat voted against it.

More than 7 million children were enrolled in SCHIP at some point in 2008. The program was created more than a decade ago as a way to provide health care to children in families with incomes too high to quality for Medicaid but too low to afford private coverage. Federal funding for SCHIP is set to expire March 31 unless Congress acts.

The House already has approved a bill to expand SCHIP. It's comparable to the Senate bill, except it included a provision opposed by physicians and supported by the influential American Hospital Association. That provision would have prevented new physician-owned hospitals from opening, but it's not part of the Senate bill.

The House will vote on the Senate bill and then send it on to the president for his signature.

Republicans said they are fearful that Democrats are using SCHIP to increase the government's role in providing health care. They said about 2.4 million children who otherwise could get private insurance will get government-sponsored coverage instead.

Democrats responded to those concerns by requiring any state covering families earning more than three times the federal poverty level, or $66,150 for a family of four, to be paid at Medicaid levels rather than the higher SCHIP level.

But the bill allowed an exception for New Jersey and New York. Lawmakers said a family of four in New York could potentially qualify for SCHIP even if the family's income came to about $88,000.

"These are certainly not low-income families," said Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., who unsuccessfully tried to remove the exemption for the two states.

[frankinaz]

"Correct me if I am wrong, but this means Anchor babies are now immediatly covered. Now we have a greater incentive for illegal immigration."
You are right-Another reward for people who enter, work, and stay in this country illegally paid, for the most part, by those who are legally in this country.
It doesn''t matter who they are or where they are from, illegal immigrants should not be entitled to this type of coverage.
The countries they come from need to offer this type of coverage to their own people for a change.
No, not everyone in this country should be entitled to this type of coverage, especially to those who break the law by being here illegally.

[rhs648]

It is so good to know the President of the United States is actually representing the needs of the people and our nation. Healthy children means children are better able to learn and grow. Parents can take less time off from work to take their children to emergency rooms, sometimes the only source of health care. These children will grow up healthy, go to college or learn a vocation and be far more productive in the future. Money spent in this endeavor is not spending at all, it is an investment in our future and will pay us great dividends.


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Posted by fsw3

Sounds great but can you show proof or evidence that your speculations are correct. Has the school drop-out rate decreased in states that provide "free" or taxpayer supported health care? Where is the proof?

[tangouniforn]

TangoUniform..

Your comment is ridiculous.

From you that is high praise.

[gramto8]

gramto8- No Dr. or hospital can refuse care if required. Sorry that is a victim sindrom and won''''t work with me.

Posted by robert2237 at 01:08 AM : Jan 30, 2009

No hospital is supposed to refuse care, that is true. However, the bills still have to be paid and when a person is already drowning in medical bills, it is hard to add more. To get admitted to a hospital, you have to meet certain requirements. To be seen in the ER for a hangnail is one thing tying up our ERs. To use ERs for doctors'' offices is another. You probably raise Cain about that, but here you are telling me that I am pulling a victim''s SYNDROME because we DON''T use one for such. People like you are why people like me detest holier-than-thou jerks.

[gramto8]

Yeah change. Don''''t think we can afford much more of this type of change. Lets see the crack heads were already getting free health care, now those who don''''t want to improve thier job pay by learning a new trade are going to get free health care.

Posted by robert2237 at 12:58 AM : Jan 30, 2009

How in the devil do you think anyone is supposed to AFFORD to go to school to learn a new trade? Even study-at-home courses are expensive, moreso to those who have little or no extra funds.

[gramto8]

Is your grandaughter a ward of the state or being raised by your children. Isn''''t providing health care a responsibility of your children. Last I knew, this was part of parenting.

Posted by rhs648 at 12:57 AM : Jan 30, 2009

Quite unlike some of you, we are not ealthy, well-to-do, or even comfortably well-off. We scrape to get by. I have this computer as my only means of contact to a world other than the people in my immediate family. I do not have TV, satellite or cable or even antenna. I had to choose which I preferred because I couldn''t afford both. My daughter isn''t even as well off as I am. She cannot afford to have a phone hooked up so that she can access the internet. Yet she and her husband are both hard workers.

Don''t assume that everyone has megabucks coming in. A lot of us are barely scraping by.

[noloyalisti]

Driving and owning guns are privileges, that''s why you need a permit or license. At least 25 other countries have health care for all and have better and cheaper costs. Maybe the right wing wackos think having food and drinking clean water is a privilege also. Those are the people who don''t deserve to have those things.

[newsjunkie71]

"The free market does not create what we need, regulation of excess profits (the head of United Health Care took pay of over a billion). Health care is a right of ALL people. Right now we waste billions on the executives who are involved in a conspiracy to get excess profits at the expense of our health."

Health Care is not right, it''s a privilege. We live under a system we have the power to provide for ourselves. I have enough trouble supporting my own family, do i want to pay higher taxes to support other famalies - no. Several years ago I lost my job, i ended up working three job day, night, and weekend to get by - i didn''t ask for help as we live in a country where people can provide for themselves - are their certain exceptions to this rule, of course, the handicap for example and some people who have absolutely no other options on the table, but unfortunately many people in this country are just lazy and always looking for someone else to pay....

[noloyalisti]

Right now, we just have un-necessary middlemen who are sucking the life (and money) from our health care "system". We need to cut these people out and give health care to ALL, it is a basic human right.

[noloyalisti]

The free market does not create what we need, regulation of excess profits (the head of United Health Care took pay of over a billion). Health care is a right of ALL people. Right now we waste billions on the executives who are involved in a conspiracy to get excess profits at the expense of our health.

[newsjunkie71]

I think we need to be very cautious about universal health care, sure it sounds great in many respects, but our system is built on the principals of capitalism and in that respect: competition. Have you not noticed the number of drugs to solve or maintain Cholesterol, Heart Disease, Certain cancers, etc - if we move to a government based system, the competition that drives our health system to be the first to find an answer will slow if not stop altogether. Yes, health care is a big issue and I think something needs to be done to address many of the problem we face, but I am not sure if moving in this direction is the right answer.

[noloyalisti]

War Dog, who is going to oversee the corporations who breed a climate of fascism? A good government is what we need, not some theoretical idea of unregulated free market that has never and will never work. Just see what happened to us.

[drivelphobe]

TangoUniform..

Your comment is ridiculous.

[wardoglrs]

How are you going to pay for this when your economy is dead?. Only fool''s would look to government for there need''s.

"Reform cannot be achieved by a well-intentioned leader who recruits his followers from the very people whose moral confusion is the cause of the disorder." - Socrates


But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.
John Adams

Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add ''within the limits of the law'' because law is often but the tyrant''s will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual. - Thomas Jefferson

The Democracy will cease to exist when you take from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not "TJ"



Keep the people frightened
Of things they cannot know
Is the secret of the Tomb

If they knew what you and I know
They would know it is just men
Who rob them, cheat them, kill them
Then start it all again
- Orville X

[drinuk]

Far more cash could be apportioned to the needy in health terms if the incestuous relationship between politicians, the FDA and Big Pharma became illegal.

The total rape of the American Health system by Big Pharma, ably abetted by the FDA is truly evil, Al Capone was a saint compared to these crooks.

''All That Is Needed For The Triumph Of Evil Is For Good Men To Say Nothing''

Time to speak up America.

[tangouniforn]

drivelphobe, I forgot to add - your are worthless. I can only hope that your children are not worthless. But according to your definition.................

[tangouniforn]

Abortion is murder. Children are the responsibility of the parents and should have to face life as the parents do. If the parents are worthless, so are the children. They do not deserve what their own parents cannot provide.

Posted by drivelphobe

To paraphrase a great man - Who told you that abortion is murder? You have no knowledge as to the number of lives in a fertilized egg and you want to call it murder if it is removed from the womb. And you have no stated problem with the actual murder of hundreds of thousands of real live, breathing children in Iraq. You are rather selective in your definition of murder. Maybe your religious leader should tell you that being responsible for the death of real children is murder.

Drivelphobe my arse. You are spreading drivel.

[drivelphobe]

Wrong rudy6543. Abortion is murder. Children are the responsibility of the parents and should have to face life as the parents do. If the parents are worthless, so are the children. They do not deserve what their own parents cannot provide.

[tangouniforn]

This is friggin unbelievable. The creatures that oppose health care for children at a cost of $32.8 billion over 5 years gave not a whimper when Bush gave $6,000 billion to his supporters. That $6,000 billion is the greatest debt run up by any president and these creatures have no problem with it. But let some money be spent on helpless children and they burst into flames. The phrase compassionate conservative is truly an oxymoron. These creatures have no compassion for anyone that is not of their ilk.

[rudy6543]

Now that Blackywater has been fired, maybe we can use what was being paid to them to benefit the rest of the nation in health care.