Thread: SCHIP Bill Passes Senate Finance Committee

Politics & Policy | SCHIP Bill Passes Senate Finance Committee

[Jan 16, 2009]

By a 12-7 vote, the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday approved SCHIP reauthorization and expansion legislation that could add four million children to the program, the AP/Boston Globe reports (AP/Boston Globe, 1/16). The bill, introduced by committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.), would expand the program by $31.5 billion over four-and-one-half years. The House passed a similar bill (HR 2) on Wednesday. The bill now goes to the floor, where Senate leaders are expected to amend Baucus' language into the House-passed bill and send it to conference to resolve any differences.

The Finance Committee adopted an amendment by Sen. John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) that would allow states to waive the federally mandated five-year waiting period for documented immigrants seeking public health benefits in the case of pregnant women and children. The provision, included in the House bill, could add "several billion dollars" to the cost of the measure, CQ Today reports. According to CQ Today, the provision "was the only major point of disagreement" between the House and Senate versions of the bill.

Republican members of the committee were "upset" over several facets of the bill, CQ Today reports. They expressed concern regarding provisions that would eliminate the waiting period for documented immigrants, loosen citizen and residency documentation requirements, change policies on how to deal with people who transfer from private insurance to SCHIP and lessen income limits.

Republicans proposed several motions to increase restrictions for immigrants seeking SCHIP coverage; however, just one was adopted. The provision, submitted by Finance Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), would require states to review citizenship or legal residency status of SCHIP beneficiaries during the process of verifying beneficiaries' income levels. Under the provision, SCHIP enrollees who lose their documented status while enrolled in the program would be disenrolled. The committee also adopted an amendment from Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) that would allow states to offer dental insurance to children who have private health coverage but do not have dental coverage.

Grassley said that passing SCHIP reauthorization would complicate efforts to pass health care overhaul legislation later in the year. "In a lot of ways it makes more sense to do a simple extension of SCHIP for two years so we can work through how to fold SCHIP into a program that covers everyone," he said (Armstrong, CQ Today, 1/15).

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_repo ... R_ID=56498

I heard that the Senate is going to vote on this bill as early as Tuesday.

The provision, submitted by Finance Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), would require states to review citizenship or legal residency status of SCHIP beneficiaries during the process of verifying beneficiaries' income levels. Under the provision, SCHIP enrollees who lose their documented status while enrolled in the program would be disenrolled.

If Grassley's amendment isn't stripped from the bill, looks like illegal aliens will not be eligible. However, some legal immigrants will be eligible immediately after entering the United States.

The Finance Committee adopted an amendment by Sen. John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) that would allow states to waive the federally mandated five-year waiting period for documented immigrants seeking public health benefits in the case of pregnant women and children.

Come to America and have your babies free of charge. Furthermore, bring your young children and their health care will be free too. All refugees and those given asylum will be eligible assuming their income doesn't exceed the set limit. It looks like those folks that are here under temporary legal status will be eligible too.

I expect clear sailing for this bill in the Senate. Additionally, wouldn't be surprised to see someone like Dick Durbin or Menendez attempt to add an amendment making illegal alien children and illegal pregnant women eligible. However, such an amendment, if passed, would not be without risk and could jeopardize the passing of the bill. I doubt the Democrats would be willing to take that risk. It's already been established that Obama will sign this bill when it reaches his desk (Bush vetoed the bill twice).

SCHIP is a bad bill but since when does our U.S. Congress care about what's good or bad for this country! We can't afford it, and they know this.

They are not going to require proof of citizenship or verify SSN's according to our Representative. All a person has to do is give them a set of numbers, even if they are made up!

Also it would cover people making over $80,000 a year and count people in their late 20's as eligible. Since immigrants and illegal aliens tend to all live together and the children stay with the family even after they are grown, they would be covered as a child. There are over 600,000 non-pregnant adults on SCHIP and Michigan spent 70% of their SCHIP money on ADULTS!

The only purpose of this is to expand Democrat power. If the Republicans vote against it, then they are "child haters." And if it passes, in future elections, Democrats will campaign on the premise that Republicans will take away their insurance.

THis will also cause people to drop their private insurance and go on govt. insurance.

Anchor babies will be further used to get benefits for the families. And why should refugees and others (legal citizens included) automatically get free health care? Are refugees subject to any income restrictions?

Psalm 91