Posted on Wed, Oct. 03, 2007
AS I SEE IT: SCHIP expansion would help the wrong people
By SAM GRAVES

I believe that our priority with the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) ought to be enrolling children from low-income families who currently lack access to health care.

That is why I support reauthorizing the program with an increase in funding.

Every dollar of this expanded program we spend covering adults, children who previously had private health insurance and the families of illegal immigrants is money we are not spending on children this program is intended to help.

This expansion takes us away from the very reason SCHIP was created: to cover low-income children without health insurance.

The legislation that President Bush vetoed Wednesday would make it easier for illegal immigrants to get taxpayer-funded health care. The legislation would wipe away the current requirement for multiple sources of identification and require merely a name and a Social Security number to apply for benefits. The only safeguard would be a single statement that says no illegal immigrants can get benefits.

That’s like opening the door to the chicken coop but saying its OK because we put up a sign that says, “No Foxes Allowed.â€