Thread: SCHIP commercials

State Children's Health Insurance Program.


I've seen these commercials playing on the Fox cable news channel the last couple of weeks. It's the most wholesome looking thing I've seen since Ozzie and Harriet, innocent children's faces and soft child-like music playing, blue skies, butterflies, etc. The truth though is it's a complete NIGHTMARE. As if we don't give enough to illegals already.

"Illegal immigrants are about to get an unexpected boost thanks to the Democratic Congress," House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said in a statement Thursday.

"The Democrats have a proposal that not only raises taxes on middle class families and slashes funding for a popular Medicare program ... it eliminates the requirement that persons applying for Medicaid or SCHIP service show proof of citizenship or nationality."

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp ... 0727a.html



A couple of weeks ago I sent e-mails to all 100 senators concerning this insanity. They are stating to push it hard, looks like we need to push back.

Agreed. Add to that the looming disaster which is called the Social Security Totalization Agreement (SSTA) w/ Mexico.

How about BLITZ on this issue? Once again, they don't let people know what is being cut in order to pay for this. Our own seniors and disabled will lose out in order to provide medical care for illegals.

Seen those myself.....they are cute.....pukin and sneezing and snifflin and stuff........my dad took my temperature and it was 100 degrees below zero.........having insurance is a very important thing you know.

Kind of like the one with the Jr. high girls and getting the vaccine for cervical cancer as if they WILL get it unless you make sure they get that vaccine......and how could you live with yourself when they do.

Too bad the reality isn't as cute and wholesome as the commercial.

I had my kids on the state of Floridas program.......ya....sorry the Dr. is booked.....if you can't wait for 3 mos. to get in, then go to the ER. Go to the ER, wait for hours and hours, and miss work and then still get a bill because it wasn't considered an "emergency" but if you didn't take them.....you'd have HRS checking you out for neglect.

Cribster...did you notice that there is not ONE Mexican kid in the commericals???? This was the first thing I noticed...NO MEXICAN KIDS! There were 2 blacks, one Asian, and the rest were adorable blue-eyed blond American kids! Talk about deceptive advertising!!! There are plenty of state sponsored programs for kids, i.e. Healthy Families and then, of course, there is Medicaid.

I am sick and tired of all of the pro-illegal groups using CHILDREN to ellicit sympathy! Elvira is the perfect example of child abuse!

Schwarzenkennedy is determined to make us pay for every single illegal kid and their parents. It's soooo disgusting!

Originally Posted by AmericanMe

Cribster...did you notice that there is not ONE Mexican kid in the commericals???? This was the first thing I noticed...NO MEXICAN KIDS! There were 2 blacks, one Asian, and the rest were adorable blue-eyed blond American kids! Talk about deceptive advertising!!! There are plenty of state sponsored programs for kids, i.e. Healthy Families and then, of course, there is Medicaid.

I am sick and tired of all of the pro-illegal groups using CHILDREN to ellicit sympathy! Elvira is the perfect example of child abuse!

Schwarzenkennedy is determined to make us pay for every single illegal kid and their parents. It's soooo disgusting!

I did notice that AmericanMe. I've seen two different versions of the commercial so far and both are disgustingly deceptive. There was a kid in one who had dark hair and eyes, I thought they were actually going to use him to represent latino's but when he spoke he sounded somewhat British.

I agree, using children to further their unconscionable causes should be criminal, it is highly immoral.

I wonder if there's a Spanish version of the commercial.

Deception at its best! These commercials are absolutely disgraceful.

Here's an opinion piece I just came across: the writer is on target!

Thursday, August 23, 2007
Grace-Marie Turner: Keep SCHIP focused on needy kids
SCHIP is run by the states with a big share of federal dollars
By GRACE-MARIE TURNER
President, The Galen Institute, A Nonprofit Research Organization Focusing on Free-Market Solutions to Health Reform

Both houses of Congress passed bills reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program before leaving Washington for their August recesses. But there are big differences between their two approaches to the program and what President Bush says he will sign, so a showdown is inevitable.

Launched in 1997, SCHIP was designed to provide health insurance to children whose families earn too much for them to qualify for Medicaid but who can't afford private insurance. SCHIP is run by the states with a big share of federal dollars and provides coverage for more than 6 million people.

Originally authorized for 10 years, SCHIP is set to expire the end of September. Republicans and Democrats in Congress support a reauthorization, and Mr. Bush called for its renewal in his budget proposal.

But there's a catch, and it's very expensive.

The Senate reauthorization of SCHIP calls for $35 billion more than the $25 billion the president requested, meaning that total spending would jump to $60 billion over five years. This added cost would be financed primarily by a 156 percent hike in the federal cigarette tax.

The House would spend $75 billion on SCHIP, funded by a somewhat smaller cigarette tax and big cuts to the popular Medicare Advantage program for senior citizens in order to vastly expand coverage to middle-income children.

The added spending is being framed as necessary to make sure kids stay healthy. But, as Mr. Bush recently explained, "The program is going beyond the initial intent of helping poor children. It's now aiming at encouraging more people to get on government health care."

And he isn't overreacting. The president has vowed to veto either bill; he wants the legislation to focus instead on doing a better job of covering lower-income kids.

The House would give states incentives to expand coverage to children in families earning $80,000 a year and higher. If they succeed, all of the nation's children could be eligible for taxpayer-supported health insurance.

If Congress is truly concerned about low-income children, then expanding SCHIP to children in these middle- and upper-income families doesn't make sense.

And if SCHIP were expanded to the levels Congress wants, the market for children's private insurance would eventually dry up, and an entire generation of Americans would grow up thinking that health insurance comes from the government. Then we'd be one step closer to a government-run health system.

SCHIP will be reauthorized, but not after several more rounds of battles between Congress and the White House. It would make more sense for Congress to focus on fixing problems with the program. That means targeting resources to children who have few alternatives for coverage and allowing lower-income parents who have access to private coverage to use SCHIP dollars to add their children to their policies.

This would keep families together on private insurance that offers better access to physicians and provides more stable coverage – a better option for children, families, and taxpayers.

http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/child ... ess-health

And Feinstein's response to my letter opposing SCHIP:

Thank you for contacting me regarding health coverage for children. I appreciate the time you took to write and welcome the opportunity to respond.



I share your concern for the approximately nine million children in the United States who lack health coverage. I have been a strong supporter of Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which is a federal-state partnership designed to provide health insurance coverage to low-income children. Research has shown that 62% of uninsured children are eligible for a publicly-funded health program, but are not enrolled. To improve this situation, I have supported legislation to provide outreach to increase the enrollment and participation of eligible children in these health programs.



On August 2, 2007, the Senate passed legislation to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program by a vote of 68 to 31. This legislation invests an additional $35 billion in this successful program, ensuring that all of the 6.6 million children currently enrolled in SCHIP can remain in the program. Additionally, the bill will cover 3.2 million new children who are uninsured today.



I strongly supported this legislation, which included a provision to increase the federal tobacco tax, with all revenue generated by the increase dedicated to the reauthorization and expansion of SCHIP. I appreciate hearing your comments about this important issue and will keep your thoughts in mind when considering the final version of this legislation.



Again, thank you for writing. Should you have any further questions or comments, please feel free to contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3841. Best regards.




Sincerely yours,

Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator