S-CHIP Take Two

Once again, the House passed another, slightly adjusted form of S-CHIP. The bill would ensure that children in families that make less than three times the poverty level have health insurance. It sounds like good policy to make sure that our children stay healthy, but many Republicans seem to feel differently.

From The New York Times:

Supporters of the new bill said it addressed all the major concerns that prompted Republicans to oppose the earlier version. The measure, they said, would end coverage of childless adults, ban coverage of illegal immigrants and generally prohibit states from covering children in families with incomes above three times the poverty level — $61,950 for a family of four.

Ms. Pelosi said the restrictions on adults, illegal immigrants and high-income families were clear in the first bill and “are even clearer in the second bill.”

But Mr. Bush said his concerns had not been addressed “in a meaningful way.” He derided the new bill as “more of the same,” and many Republican lawmakers said the changes were insignificant.

“The new bill puts lipstick on a sow,” said Representative Thomas M. Reynolds, Republican of New York. “Today is raw politics — trotting out a vote just for the sake of a vote.”

The House Republican leader, Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, said, “This is nothing more than a political game, getting ready for the next election.”

One hundred and forty two Republican Congressmen and President Bush are more afraid of cigarette taxes, illegal immigrants and a solid government program that works than giving these benefits to our nation's children. Their excuses are sad and pathetic, as their records clearly show through the years. So why should this be any different? As long as their kids have insurance, they could give a damn about anyone else's, even their own constituents.

And as for Boehner's quote that this is nothing more than a political game....him and his party chose that road. They could have just made the smart choice for the kids and our country, but to them, everything is political.

156 Members Of Congress Hate Kids

They may love their own, but there is no sympathy for those children that do not have access to good health insurance. S-CHIP has been a proven success for millions of poor families and their children, but that doesn't mean much to many Republicans and even a couple of Democrats. The House failed to override the President's veto by 16 votes, even though the Senate overwhelmingly voted for it, passing the 2/3rds mark by approximately 20 votes.

From Crooks and Liars:

The final vote was 273 - 156, 16 votes short of the necessary 2/3 to override Bush’s veto. Democrats Jim Marshall and Gene Taylor crossing the aisle to vote against SCHIP and 44 Republicans voting for SCHIP (which is one less than the initial vote).

I’ve included the roll call at the above link and there’s a widget on the right margin of the page to contact Congress. If you’re so inclined, you may want to ask those 156 representatives why they hate poor, sick kids. Because believe me, whether or not we have SCHIP, we ALL pay for the care of these children when they have health care needs.

Keep in mind, the cost of the expanded SCHIP program is what we pay in Iraq in THREE WEEKS.

They claim that the expanded program covers "rich kids" and that government shouldn't provide health care for Americans. Do they really believe that the current situation is working out? They know health insurance is in shambles in America, but those in the health insurance industry that line their pockets seem to have more influence than their own constituents.

Shame on them, I hope their votes end their Congressional careers.

How Can Wingers Attack A Two Year Old And Her Family?

If you thought that the right wing attacks on Graeme Frost and his family were bad, watch them attack a two year old baby and her parents. Their crime was having the blessing of S-CHIP that saved her life. Paul Krugman and Keith Olbermann discussed the issue last night:

Bethany Is Another S-CHIP Success Story

Tell me again why Bush and faithful followers would rather choose a failed ideology over a healthy life for this innocent child. She is only one of millions that benefit from a wonderful program.

Bush's Lies About S-CHIP

As the S-CHIP override veto vote is coming up in two days, it is important to know what we are dealing with here. The President is trying to communicate that his proposal still increases S-CHIP, but only for the poorest of the poor.

Basically he could care less about people that consider themselves "middle class." The successful passage of this bill would serve as a tremendous blow to his ideology that government must not help average Americans. But for PR's sake, he does not want to look as mean as he is so he favors a "20 percent increase in funding" or so you would believe. The traditional media is reporting it as fact, but we can never count on them to discern facts or practice journalism here. Thankfully we have Media Matters.

From Media Matters:

An October 13 Wall Street Journal editorial criticizing the response by congressional Democrats to President Bush's veto of legislation that would increase funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) by $35 billion over five years asserted that "in truth, the Bush Administration endorses a modest expansion" of the program. The editorial went on to claim that "after his veto Mr. Bush repeatedly signaled a willingness to compromise and spend more than the $5 billion he would prefer to pump in -- which is by itself a 20% expansion." In fact, Bush's plan to "pump in" an additional $5 billion over five years would underfund the program by $9 billion during that period, according to the Congressional Budget Office. As Media Matters for America has repeatedly documented, in May, the CBO estimated that "maintaining the states' current programs under SCHIP would require funding of $39 billion for the 2007-2012 period." But a $5 billion increase from baseline funding -- Bush's proposal -- over five years would total $30 billion.

Bush and his handlers try to be clever, but this isn't fuzzy math here. The CBO knows what it's doing and easily exposes the President's bullshit. See, he would rather crush and underfund the program more than anything. His blind devotion to his so-called ideology is sickening to say the least.

What Every Member Of Congress Needs To Be Bombarded With

After last week's veto of S-CHIP George Bush is looking for a "compromise" with legislators to keep the program as limited as possible. However the Senate has the votes to override his heartless veto. The House is a different story, there are still many Republicans out there that would rather side with the President than millions of uninsured children. So if your representative voted against S-CHIP, ask them why...then demand they change their position.

Conservatives Disparage 12 Year Old Without Knowing The Facts

Simply put, rightwing bloggers and their compatriots in the Senate have no shame. In their typically ignorant fashion, they went ahead to blast twelve year-old Graeme Frost and his family after he gave the Democratic address concerning the S-CHIP program. If it weren't for federal health insurance, him and his sister would not have gotten the care they needed after a devastating car accident.

The young boy made a compelling case for S-CHIP but right-wing bloggers went snooping around, looking for details that could make the case for their villainous President and his decision to veto the bill to expand the program. They thought they found items that were helpful for their side, but if they had actually done due diligence they would have known to keep their mouths shut.

From The Blotter:

"People make choices and it's clear the Frosts have made choice to invest in property and a business, but not in private health insurance," Mark Tapscott, editorial page editor of The Washington Examiner, wrote on his blog.

But Manley say conservative bloggers didn't dig deep enough. It turns out that the Frost children attend Baltimore’s Park School on near-full scholarships; they pay roughly $500 per child per year in tuition, he said.

Like many small-business owners, Halsey Frost can't even afford to provide health insurance to himself, Manley said.

"Last year, the Frost's made $45,000 combined," Manley said. "Over the past few years they have made no more than $50,000 combined depending on Halsey's ability to find work."

The Frosts did indeed decide to make a decision to invest....in their children. For one thousand dollars a year the kids will get a great education that can help provide for a great future. In our democracy, it is great that our representatives can enable the government to provide health insurance to families that can not afford the ever-increasing price of private programs.

When a couple only makes $45,000 a year, it is hard enough to put food on the table, let alone pay for adequate health care. For conservatives to spin facts for their benefit without caring about the full truth or the reputation of a middle class family is indicative of how they will stop at nothing to obey their failed ideas and a failed Presidency.

Kids Strike Back!

They May Be Innocent But You Know Better

Now follow the message and do your part, these kids deserve better.

Bush Wields The Veto Over Helpless Children

Well now it's official, Bush actually carried through with a pledge to keep health care away from children. Through no fault of their own, millions of young kids will go without the benefits of health insurance. SCHIP is already a successful program but that didn't matter to our benevolent President today.

From The Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON — President Bush, in a confrontation with Congress, on Wednesday vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have dramatically expanded children's health insurance.

It was only the fourth veto of Bush's presidency, and one that some Republicans feared could carry steep risks for their party in next year's elections. The Senate approved the bill with enough votes to override the veto, but the margin in the House fell short of the required number.

The White House sought as little attention as possible, with the president wielding his veto behind closed doors without any fanfare or news coverage.

There may not have been a party at the White House for this, but the champagne is surely flowing at places like Blue Cross/Blue Shield and HMOs across the country. At least the Senate has enough members to override the veto, but House Republicans should be ashamed that their caucus cannot agree to protect children over the President's faithfulness to his friends in the health insurance business. How they can ever look children in the eye again is besides me. I hope the GOP pays a high price for this cruel act during next year's elections.

NY And Others Taking SCHIP To The Courts

George Bush may want to take away health care for children simply because it is a "government program," but that isn't stopping several states (including our own) from going to court to stop his villainous efforts. Not only is Bush threatening to veto the extension of the bill, he is trying to stop the program from working as it is now.

From The New York Times:

In August, federal health officials informed states that they could no longer receive federal matching funds for children in families living above 250 percent of the poverty level, except under special conditions that the states say would be almost impossible to meet. Three weeks ago the federal health officials denied a request by New York to insure more children by covering those in families with incomes up to 400 percent of the poverty rate, or $82,600 for a family of four.

“Despite every effort to negotiate in good faith, the Bush administration did nothing but put roadblocks and poison pills in our path,” Governor Spitzer said at a news conference yesterday. “The president was out of touch with the reality on the ground.”

Mr. Spitzer said that Maryland, Illinois and Washington would join New York in the lawsuit, with Arizona, California and New Hampshire filing amicus briefs in the case. He has argued that the new rules violate the intent of the federal law that created the children’s insurance program in 1997.

The feds that run the program assert they only want the poorest kids to be in front of the line, but the funds are meant to cover all families that qualify as the legislation dictates. The President is essentially failing his constitutional duty to faithfully carry out and execute the law of the land. One more notch in the bastard's belt so far. It is amazing he executes anything that the legislative branch signs into law anymore.