by Mike Hall, Aug 3, 2007

It looks like President Bush is going to have make that choice between protecting the profits of the private insurance industry and providing health care for millions of low-income children. Last night, over Bush’s veto threats, the U.S. Senate approved the renewal of the state Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

Bush has vowed to veto the legislation, whether the House or Senate version reaches his desk. The Senate bill provides an additional $35 billion for SCHIP over current costs and extends coverage to more than 3 million additional low-income children. The House version adds $50 billion to the program and would allow 5 million poor kids to join the 6.6 million already enrolled.

But last night’s vote chipped away enough Republican senators, 18, to give the SCHIP reauthorization a 68-31 veto-proof margin of support. When Congress returns from its August recess, a House/Senate conference will reconcile the two versions. Several Republican senators say it would be outrageous for Bush to use his veto power. Says Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa):

I hope to be able to talk to the president and just show how common sense dictates not vetoing this.

A White House statement yesterday continued the flow of right-wing rhetoric and misinformation about the bill that has marked opposition to SCHIP. The statement called the bill “essentially a welfare benefit to the middle class.” (Click here and here for a look at the House and Senate debates.)

Even long-time Bush ally Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) slammed that description:

These are children of working-poor parents who are trying to work but don’t have the money to get health insurance. It’s hardly welfare.

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) , the bill’s chief sponsor with Grassley, says:

For the life of me I can’t understand why the president would want to veto this legislation. It’s moderate. It’s bipartisan. It helps low-income kids….It’s just the right thing to do for this country.

Despite his reputation as stubborn and unyielding, Bush has changed his mind before on covering low-income children. As several lawmakers pointed out, in 2004 Bush was all for expanding health care coverage for kids.  This is what he said at the Republican convention:

America’s children must have a healthy start in life. In a new term, we will lead an aggressive effort to enroll millions of poor children who are eligible but not signed up for the government’s health insurance programs. We will not allow a lack of attention or information to stand between these children and the health care they need.

Guess he’s more flexible in his thinking than we knew. He changed his mind once, maybe he will again.   

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