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Children's
Health Is Political Battleground |
Posted:
10.29.07
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Recent political ads featuring images of children with a narrator
saying "George Bush just vetoed Abby" are the latest weapons in
a battle between Republicans and Democrats over The State Children's
Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP.
Printer-friendly version: PDF
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 Democrats
tried unsuccessfully last week to override the president's veto
of a bill expanding the SCHIP legislation.
The debate pits Democrats, who say too many children are uninsured,
against the president and most Republicans, who say expanding
the program would entice middle-class families to give up their
private insurance in favor of a government-sponsored program.
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History of
SCHIP |
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SCHIP was created in 1997
to reduce the number of uninsured children in the United States
by providing subsidized insurance to low income families.
 When
a child is uninsured, they often can't afford to see a doctor.
Because they don't have regular check-ups, many uninsured people
wind up in a hospital emergency room if they fall ill.
SCHIP has been considered successful -- in 2005, 16 percent of
children whose families had income that amounted to less than
twice the federal poverty level (around $40,000) were uninsured,
compared to 23 percent in 1997.
Still, a high number of American children --approximately 8 million
-- remain uninsured and nearly 30 percent of children eligible
for the program have yet to enroll.
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Democrats
challenge the president |
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In July 2007, Democrats crafted a bill that would expand SCHIP
by $35 billion over a five-year period, far beyond the $5 billion
President Bush had budgeted for the same timeframe. Raising the
tax on cigarettes would fund the expansion.
 President
Bush vetoed the measure on Oct. 3, 2007 believing it would "federalize
health care."
Many Republicans believe health insurance should remain private,
meaning that Americans should be covered by the companies they
work for.
On Oct. 18, the House of Representatives fell 13 votes short
(273-156) of the two-thirds majority required to override the
veto. Forty-four Republicans joined the 229 Democrats in supporting
the measure. Eight Democrats voted against it.
The House passed a revised bill on Oct. 25 again attempting to
expand the program but it too fell short of securing the required
votes to override the president's veto.
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SCHIP could
become election issue |
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Amid the face-off, Democrats
have called for an extension of the existing SCHIP program through
next summer. The next vote on the program would then take place
in the fall of 2008, just ahead of the presidential election.
So expect to see more of those commercials.
Democrats have painted opposition to the bill as voting against
children.
"To be a great nation we have to take care of the health
of our children. It should almost go without saying, but it doesn't.
There is every compassionate humanitarian, motherly, fatherly,
and family reason to be for this legislation," said Speaker
of the House, Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California.
 Republicans,
like House leader John Boehner of Ohio, dismiss the proposal as
"nothing more than a political game, getting ready for the
next election."
Republican Rep. Thomas Reynolds of New York called the override
attempt "raw politics - trotting out a vote, just for the
sake of a vote."
Democrats insist that the revised bill addresses the Republican
concerns with the initial expansion bill.
Among the revisions are an end to coverage of childless adults
and a ban on insuring illegal immigrants.
Still, President Bush says his concerns have not been addressed
"in a meaningful way," and dismisses the bill as "more
of the same."
--Compiled
by Steve Goldbloom for NewsHour Extra
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