Bush Vows to Veto SCHIP Expansion Legislation
September 21, 2007 by Amy Spangler | one question or comment
President Bush in a news conference on Thursday promised to veto compromise legislation that would reauthorize and expand SCHIP, calling the proposed expansion a step toward “government-run health care for every American,” USA Today reports (Jackson, USA Today, 9/21).
A draft compromise bill, announced on Sunday, reportedly closely resembles the Senate version of SCHIP legislation, which would provide an additional $35 billion in funding over the next five years and bring total spending on the program to $60 billion. The additional funding would be paid for by an increase in the tobacco tax, which would be similar to the 61-cent-per-pack tax proposed in the Senate version. The compromise bill does not include revisions to Medicare (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 9/20).
Bush has proposed an additional $5 billion for SCHIP over five years (USA Today, 9/21). Bush said, “I believe this is a step toward federalization of health care,” adding that Congress’ proposal “is beyond the scope of the program, and that’s why I’m going to veto the bill” (Silva, Chicago Tribune, 9/21). Bush urged Congress to pass a “clean, temporary extension” of the program (Stolberg, New York Times, 9/21).
He said that while he and Congress work out the issues with the reauthorization, Congress “has an obligation to make sure health insurance for poor children does not lapse” (Schor, The Hill, 9/21). Bush said that if Democrats do not pass an extension of the program, “more than a million children could lose health coverage,” and “coverage for these children should not be held hostage while political ads are being made and new polls are being taken” (Freking, AP/Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/21).
Bush said, “Instead of working with the administration to enact this funding increase for children’s health, Democrats in Congress have decided to pass a bill that they know will be vetoed” (Chicago Tribune, 9/21). He added, “Members of Congress are putting health coverage for poor children at risk so they score political points in Washington” (USA Today, 9/21).
It’s unlikely that President Bush’s veto of the proposed expansion of the SCHIP program will be overturned. The bill called for adding an estimated four million mostly low-income children to a program that currently covers 6.6 million. Funding for the measure would come from higher tobacco taxes, including a 61-cent increase on packs of cigarettes. I can see the advertisements now: For the health of children, please smoke!
The American Academy of Pediatrics’ response to the President’s veto can be found at
http://www.aap.org/advocacy/washing/News-Release_Press-Statements/10-0 3-07-SCHIP-Veto.pdf