Thread: SCHIP - What They Aren't Telling You

SCHIP - What They Aren't Telling You
Written by Charles Signorile
Published October 04, 2007

As expected, President Bush vetoed the children's health insurance bill today. Also as expected, this has brought an onslaught of attacks from the left, coupled with blatant lies to back them up. Senator Harry Reid, who is quickly moving my top ten list of useless politicians, called it a "heartless veto."

"By vetoing a bipartisan bill to renew the successful Children's Health Insurance Program, President Bush is denying health care to millions of low-income kids in America." said Reid.

Before pulling out your box of tissues and weeping for the "millions of low income kids" this "heartless veto" has denied from insurance, I think it is important to look into what Democrats, and the media are not telling you about this bill.

For starters it is important to note that President Bush did not veto the SCHIP program, what he vetoed was the enormous expansion of it. President Bush had asked for a small expansion of this program from Congress, requesting an additional $5 billion over the next 5 years. The House's first draft of this bill authorized an additional $50 billion and covered "children" as old as 25 from families which made as much as $82,000 per year. Those numbers have since been toned down, however the final bill which was presented to President Bush requested an increase of $35 billion and would cover "children" as old as 21.

While looking at those figures also realize that, as the Wall Street Journal reported recently, this bill has what is known as a "funding cliff." The "yearly SCHIP layout increases to $13.9 billion in 2011, then abruptly cuts spending by 65% below current funding levels. This helps 'score' the bill as costing only $35 billion over the five-year budget window, but it also means that come 2012 Congress will either have to pass new spending or kick kids off the rolls." Meaning this 5 year expansion is only funded for 4 years under the current legislation!

With regards to the "funding" of this expansion, it is comical how the Democrats wish to do so. Funding is expected to come from a 61 cent increase in tax on cigarettes, with Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), echoing the reason many other Dems have stated "The tobacco tax is a great way to pay for it, because if you tax people who are smoking and they smoke less, then we have less health problems." Yes Mr. Pallone, that is true, if you increase taxes on cigarettes less people will smoke, but then who will be paying the tax??! "In just five years, Congress will need over 9 million new smokers," estimated The Heritage Foundation's Michelle Bucci and William Beach.

President Bush has stated he is worried the expansion of the SCHIP program to children who come from families with higher income levels would inevitably lead to some children who are already covered by private insurance to be moved into the taxpayer funded program. He is also worried that the Democrats expansion of this bill is simply a small step towards a national health care system. I agree with him on both counts.

Democrats claim it is preposterous that this bill is in any way a first step towards national health care, it is simply to help the children. Apparently those same people have not yet read the memo Hillary Clinton received in 1993 from her staff which stated federal coverage of children should be used as a precursor to universal coverage.

One other very important item which most have yet to read about in the newspaper, or hear about on ABC news. Under the new expansion of SCHIP, States will not be mandated to verify the legal status of the applicant. This bill provides billions of billions of dollars to the States to offer it poorer citizens insurance, but does not require the States to verify that only citizens will receive this money. The words taxpayer funded insurance for illegal aliens were never mentioned in the NY Times as far as I could see.

The fact is, Democrats are claiming Bush hates children while at the same time they are playing politics with children's health care, using it to benefit themselves instead of the children. SCHIP has expired as of September 30, meaning States will not receive any monies from the Federal Government for this program until a new bill is passed. The Democrats have known for months this large expansion of the program would be vetoed by President Bush, but decided to wait until the plan expired before presenting it to him for his veto. This allowed them to paint the President as being evil, while they proclaim they are the party that cares about children.

"If he vetoes the bill, it's a political victory for us." said House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-IL). House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer agreed saying "With a bill on its way to the president's desk by the end of next week, Democrats will be safe in blaming the White House for allowing the program to expire."

These words do not sound like a group of people whose only interest is to help "poor" children. There is an obvious political agenda surrounding the SCHIP expansion, and it is a game politicians on both sides have been playing for years. Until we as a Country stop electing career politicians to represent us, this game will continue and the only losers will be us.

Like the old joke goes, "How do you know when a politician is lying?"

"His lips are moving."

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/10/04/063130.php

Wouldn't it be unconstitutional to tax one group of people for another group to benenfit!! Just a thought!



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