Enough about the GD flight attendant! REAL tragedy: Bush about to veto children's health insurance!

[Bluebear]

Covering no child's behind

Category: Health care • Health insurance
Posted on: July 16, 2007 4:39 PM, by revere

Many Republicans and most Democrats in Congress seem to agree on at least one thing: President Bush is full of crap. Not about Iraq. Virtually all Republicans disagree with the rest of us on that. No, what they agree on is that the federal government should expand, not deep six, the Children's Health Insurance Program. 7.4 million children were covered at one time or another last year but it will expire on September 30. For 6 months a bipartisan group in the Senate Finance Committee has been crafting a compromise bill to cover the 8 million children in the US with no health insurance at all. For many Democrats it falls short but better than nothing. But "nothing" is what the Bush administration wants:

Tony Fratto, a White House spokesman, said: "The president?s senior advisers will certainly recommend a veto of this proposal. And there is no question that the president would veto it." (New York Times; hat-tip Tennessee Guerilla Women)

The bipartisan compromise would increase spending over the next five years to total $60 billion, reducing the number of uninsured children by 4.1 million. So what's wrong with it? The current Congress (Democrats) doesn't want to spend money it doesn't have so it will raise the money by increasing cigarette taxes. This will have the salutary effect of reducing smoking, saving even more money. But the Republicans and Democrats on the Finance Committee forgot to read the President's lips:

Mr. Fratto, the White House spokesman, said, Tax increases are neither necessary nor advisable to fund the program appropriately."



White House officials said the president had several other reasons to veto the bipartisan Senate plan.

"The proposal would dramatically expand the Children's Health Insurance Program, adding nonpoor children to the program, and more than doubling the level of spending," Mr. Fratto said. "This will have the effect of encouraging many to drop private coverage, to go on the government-subsidized program."

In addition, Mr. Fratto said, the Senate plan does not include any of Mr. Bush's proposals to change the tax treatment of health insurance, in an effort to make it more affordable for millions of Americans.

So no health insurance for uninsured children, even if paid for by people who are costing the rest of us money by their behavior. No health insurance for uninsured children, because the only people who should get government subsidies are friends of George W. and Dick Cheney. No health insurance for uninsured children, to protect the private health insurance industry.

I get it. I think we all get it.

http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2007/07/covering_no_childs_behind.php