Insurance for children....Charlotte Observer...Bush says NO

[surfermaw]

Insurance for children
Expand federal health coverage plan to help more kids
With 9 million U.S. children uninsured, it's hardly surprising that most Americans want Congress to expand the federal State Children's Health Insurance Program (known as SCHIP) for low-income youngsters. That's what a Georgetown University poll released Monday shows.

What is surprising is the opposition coming from President Bush. He contends that expanding the program to cover more children, encompassing kids at higher incomes than the formula now allows, will hurt private insurers. Far too many currently receiving SCHIP help should be using private insurance, his administration says. If those participants were removed from enrollment, officials said, the additional $5 billion the president has proposed for SCHIP over the next five years would be sufficient.

But others disagree. Most uninsured children don't have access to health coverage any other way. Rising costs and reductions in employer-provided insurance have left many families with few options. Many states don't get enough money to insure all those eligible for SCHIP.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the cost of covering just an additional 1 million children under SCHIP is $6.7 billion over five years, rather than the $5 billion the Bush administration budget includes. The CBO projects that the cost of insuring all currently eligible but unenrolled children would be $47.5 billion. The present SCHIP budget is just at $5 billion.

The public clearly understands what the Bush administration does not. A nation as prosperous as ours should not allow children to be without health coverage. The situation invites child neglect and makes it likelier that serious health problems will go untreated.

In the nationwide Georgetown poll, 91 percent of Americans said they want Congress to help states cover more uninsured children. Support crossed party lines. Nearly two-thirds of those polled favored the federal government continuing to allow states to decide the income levels of the children who can be covered by SCHIP, including 61 percent of Republicans, 64 percent of independents and 68 percent of Democrats. (Find the poll at http://ccf.georgetown.edu.)

http://www.charlotte.com/127

[elehhhhna]

1. He contends that expanding the program to cover more children...

"He contends that expanding the program to cover more children, encompassing kids at higher incomes than the formula now allows, will hurt private insurers."

So we're all clear on exactly whose side he's ON.

[bluethruandthru]

2. Will we be hearing this on the evening news programs?

Seem like something that should be covered. Bush doesn't want more children covered by State Insurance program because it will hurt the INSURANCE COMPANIES!!!!!

[TwilightGardener]

3. So Bush wants to force those kids' families to either scrounge enough

to pay for private insurance, or go without, because insurance companies just don't fucking make enough money, but working-class families do? Bwhahahahahaha! That's a perfect public relations disaster! PLEASE let the Senate GOPers back Chimpy on this! And the GOPer Prez candidates too! PLEASE!!!

[polichick]

4. Called my Republican Senator about this yesterday...

MoveOn is asking people to encourage more Republicans to join those who are thinking about overriding the veto.

[FormerDittoHead]

5. I would have vetoed it too - but have demanded a universal healthcare bill instead...

Anything short of Universal, like this welfare bill, will only mean higher taxes FOR US while having to pay the same for our "let's see what we'll give you" for-profit corporation coverages...

http://sickocure.org/
http://www.pnhp.org/
http://www.pnhp.org/facts/singlepayer_faq.php

I don't want a welfare system. This is a bandaid. This would not solve THE problem. I want universal.