Reporting: Clinton's Role In Creating The State Children's Health Insurance Program: Minimal

[malik flavors]

We've all heard Hillary claim that she passed or created SCHIP, and provided children across the counrty with health care, but it's starting to come to the light that she hardly played any role at all in getting that legislation passed.

Similar to her white house "experience" and foreign policy "experience," it seems that when it comes to SCHIP, Mrs. Clinton is all talk, and no action.


WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton, who has frequently described herself on the campaign trail as playing a pivotal role in forging a children's health insurance plan, had little to do with crafting the landmark legislation or ushering it through Congress, according to several lawmakers, staffers, and healthcare advocates involved in the issue.

In campaign speeches, Clinton describes the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, as an initiative "I helped to start." Addressing Iowa voters in November, Clinton said, "in 1997, I joined forces with members of Congress and we passed the State Children's Health Insurance Program." Clinton regularly cites the number of children in each state who are covered by the program, and mothers of sick children have appeared at Clinton campaign rallies to thank her.

But the Clinton White House, while supportive of the idea of expanding children's health, fought the first SCHIP effort, spearheaded by Senators Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, and Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah, because of fears that it would derail a bigger budget bill. And several current and former lawmakers and staff said Hillary Clinton had no role in helping to write the congressional legislation, which grew out of a similar program approved in Massachusetts in 1996.


http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/03/14/clinton_role_in_health_program_disputed/

[Lone_Wolf]

1. As one of her upstate constituents I can say, she has done nothing for us...

Despite what she promised us, upstate NY is worse off than ever before with run down cities and closed down factories. She has used NY as a stepping stone for her Presidential aspirations. I sure hope the people of PA look northwards to see what "good" her "experience" has done for their neighbors.

[mod mom]

2. kick & rec'd for all those who repeat her slights of hand.

[karynnj]

3. I am so glad that both Hatch and Kennedy are now on record

saying what the 1997 newspapers were saying at the time.

It would certainly both me if a person interviewing for a job or a college, inflated their resumee so blatantly. It stuns me that she had the chutzpah to overstate this so often.

[malik flavors]

4. What's really remarkable is that it's taken the media so long to challenge her on this stuff.

They were just letting her claim so much from what happened in the 90s without questioning any of it. The obama camp should have been more critical of her much sooner on these things, but atleast people are finally starting to dig a bit deeper into what exactly Hillary's experience actually is.

[karynnj]

5. I know

Many of us in the JK group were posting on this a long time ago. We knew the history because Kennedy had explained and praised Kerry's role - a role Kerry has never overstated. (He and Kennedy had a precursor bill that was for an entitlement plan that was not state designed and he was one of the 2 co-sponsors of the Hatch/Kennedy bill who spoke when it was introduced.)