Roberts, a loyal Bushie, went to the Senate floor this week and, point by

[rodeodance]

point DE-myth all the President's lies that he has been telling. Spread it around


Senator Pat Roberts, Republican, KS

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?r110:6:./temp/~r110qD2Qui:e23471:



CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2007 -- (Senate - September 27, 2007)

…….I appreciate the administration's passion and persistence on having a broader health care debate. However, holding a children's health insurance bill hostage is not the right way to achieve this goal. I support the goals of reforming the Tax Code to promote the purchase of private health insurance. Let me repeat that, Madam President. I support the goals of reforming the Tax Code to promote the purchase of private health insurance. But I have yet to see a plan from the administration that can actually pass the Congress.

In fact, I have yet to see an actual plan from the administration. I have yet to see bullet points from the administration. I have yet to see any plan that can be articulated in some fashion to sell to the American public or to the Members of this body. We don't even have an acronym for this plan. My word, you can't do anything around here without an acronym.

The administration has also raised concerns that this bill is a march toward the federalization of health care. I would argue that is simply not true. I would never support a bill to federalize health care. I remember that battle a decade ago. There is no way I want to go down that road again.

I think it is important to point out what I think is a paradox of enormous irony in regard to the claim that this bill is a step toward the federalization of health care. In reality, this administration has approved waivers--approved waivers--to cover adults under a children's health care insurance program. Let me repeat that. Under this administration's watch, we now have 14 States covering adults under the Children's Health Insurance Program.

Now, this administration and others expressed grave concern that SCHIP is the next step to universal health care. Yet this very same administration is approving waivers to cover adults under a children's health program. And, unfortunately, a number of these States are covering more adults through their SCHIP program than they do children, even while high rates of uninsured children still remain. This is not fair. This is not right. It is wrong.

I don't mean to pick on other States, but let's take a look at a few examples. New Jersey now covers individuals up to 350 percent of the Federal poverty level and spends over 40 percent of its SCHIP funds on adults. This is even while over 100,000 low-income children in the State remain uninsured. This isn't right.

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Now, I am not trying to pick on these States. I can go on and on because, again, there are currently 14 that cover adults on a program that was meant for children. And how are these States able to cover adults under the Children's Health Insurance Program? Again, through waivers approved by this administration. This is certainly not fair to States such as Kansas that have been playing by the rules and targeting our programs to low-income children. I am beginning to wonder if we have the wrong name for the State Children's Health Insurance Program. I don't think it was intended to be the adult health care insurance program.

The greatest paradox of enormous irony, however, is that this bill actually stops the waivers this administration has been so generously granting to States to cover adults by not allowing more adult waivers to be approved. Let me say that again. The greatest paradox of enormous irony is that this bill actually stops the waivers this administration has been so generously granting the States to cover adults by not allowing more adult waivers to be approved. This means future administrations that may want to use SCHIP as a means to expand government health care to adults will be prevented by law from doing so. As a result, this bill ensures that the Children's Health Insurance Program remains just that--a program for low-income children.

This bill also phases out childless adults currently being covered with SCHIP funds and lowers the Federal matching rate for States that currently have waivers to cover parents and now must meet certain benchmarks in covering low-income children. As a result, this bill brings excessive spending on adult populations in check.......lots more.......