Posted on 10/24/2007 7:03:06 PM PDT by Delacon
Democrats have thrown down the gauntlet again on children's health care, unveiling a new bill they believe will win enough votes to override a White House veto.
Last week, Democrats were 13 votes short of overriding President Bush's veto of the $35 billion expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program bill, which would extend health benefits to 10 million uninsured children.
Here are the key changes Democrats have proposed for the new bill, which will be considered Thursday in the House:
First, there would be no funding for families making above 300 percent of the federal poverty line, which amounts to about $62,000 a year for a family of four. This is meant to address GOP criticism that too many middle income families might become eligible for government-subsidized health care.
Second, the new bill would cut off childless adults on SCHIP within one year of passage of the legislation, addressing concerns that too many adults are taking advantage of the program
And third, the legislation before the House Thursday would require more aggressive verification of Social Security numbers of SCHIP applicants, a move meant to assuage concerns that illegal immigrants could use bogus Social Security numbers to receive the health benefits. Under the Democratic proposal, applicants would have to provide more secondary documentation of citizenship if the Social Security Administration cannot confirm the applicant is a citizen.
Democrats have offered one other carrot for Republicans who opposed the first bill - they plan to require states to develop plans to prevent families with private insurance from dumping that coverage in favor of government coverage under SCHIP.
One House Republican aide said GOP leadership believes the Democratic bill amounts to minor "cosmetic changes that don’t address the concerns our members have."
"The bill still doesn’t put poor kids first, it continues to cover adults when millions of poor kids don’t have coverage, and it fails to address the illegal immigration issue," the aide said.
Republicans also contend that the income caps for eligibility are still not stringent enough, and Social Security numbers are still too easily stolen and used fraudulently.
California Republicans on Wednesday also weighed in with a different concern _ they won't be around for the Thursday vote because they're back in their home districts dealing with devastating wildfires. Thirteen southern California Republicans wrote Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), asking her to delay the vote, but Pelosi refused.
Even though a majority of Republicans will likely oppose this bill, they'll have to work even harder to keep another dozen or so in their party from jumping ship. The Senate already has a veto-proof majority backing the SCHIP expansion, so there will be enormous pressure on politically vulnerable House Republicans to switch their position and support the latest bill.
At a Wednesday evening press conference, Democratic leaders touted their new bill and rejected an earlier compromise offer from the White House, which offered $20 billion for the SCHIP expansion instead of the $35 billion Democrats want.
"This bill addresses all of the concerns raised by our colleagues and by the president," Pelosi said. "We hope the president signs it this time."
They could easily have SCHIP. All they need to do is eliminate the provision that allows 800,000 adults to have socialized medicine at the expense of the rest of us. But they won’t because they don’t care about the children. They only care about saving this issue for the election.
This one will probably sneak through since Bush has agreed to a compromise in this ballpark.
Socialists - 1
Taxpayers - 0
We’re not doing too well against the socialists.
Piglosi is from Calif but she says NO.
Why does that state keep electing RATS like Piglosi?
Jamie Dupree was talking about this on Neal Boortz today. The proposed bill would not allow illegal aliens to get any of the money and the poverty level would be capped. No $82,000 qualifiers.
I may be missing something, no it is not perfect, but there are changes here that could be acceptable, no? What else should they change?
I would start by eliminating the adults on the program. But let’s face it, no matter how much they water this down, it’s just the camel’s nose under the tent. One more step toward universal national healthcare.
Exactly. Keep changing it until they get the votes.
Once it is in place, then it changes every year.
Then one fine day the taxpayers wake up and read how SCHIP now covers millionaires kids up to age 40, with preferential treatment for the poor, unwed mothers and illegal aliens.
It's for the children so who can be against that!
Well since the evil rich are covered then everyone should have "free" healthcare right?
Creeping incrementalism. The socialist method in action.
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