SEARCH
Bush-Backed Veto of Children’s Health Bill ‘Callous’ |
 |
|
Some 4 million children lost a chance to have health care coverage when the House voted 273-156 this morning and failed to overturn President Bush’s veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) renewal. It would have taken a two-thirds majority to override Bush’s veto.
The bill—passed by large majorities in the U.S. House and Senate—would have funded the program for five years and covered the 6 million children already enrolled, plus an additional 4 million uninsured children whose families cannot afford the skyrocketing cost of private health insurance. Overall, some 9 million children in the nation do not have heath insurance.
The Republicans’ anti-SCHIP campaign was marked by “misconceptions, half truths and down right lies,” says Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.). Bush and his backers painted the vetoed bill as a step toward “socialized medicine” and “government-run” health care that would undermine the private insurance industry and even allow families making as much as $83,000 a year to enroll their children in SCHIP.
But as a fact sheet from Families USA says:
Claims by the president that this bill raises the SCHIP eligibility level to $83,000 (400 percent of the federal poverty level) in annual income is unambiguously false. There isn’t a single state in the country with such a high eligibility level.
In a letter to the House urging an override, AFL-CIO Legislative Director Bill Samuel says the SCHIP bill:
does not change states’ eligibility requirements and retains the president’s authority to deny any state proposal to cover children in families with income above two times the federal poverty level. Furthermore, the bill is well-targeted to extend coverage to the lowest income children who now have no health insurance. More than 75 percent of the children expected to gain coverage under the bill have family incomes below twice the poverty level.
The Los Angeles Times calls Bush’s claim that the SCHIP bill is a move to socialized medicine “a straw man.”
This bears repeating: President Bush’s bullheaded insistence on sabotaging reauthorization of the popular State Children’s Health Insurance Program, better known as SCHIP, will hurt the very people—poor and middle-class Americans—he claims he wants to protect….Setting up a socialized-medicine straw man for election season is apparently more important to the GOP than providing medical care for the nation’s kids.
Bush’s veto was out of step with the vast majority of Americans—including Republicans—who backed the bill. A recent poll showed 81 percent of Democrats, 69 percent of Independents and 61 percent of Republicans back the SCHIP legislation. In addition, 43 governors, Republican and Democrats alike, backed the SCHIP bill, as did many other state lawmakers. A letter from 82 Republican and Democratic New Jersey state legislators urged the state’s congressional delegation to override Bush’s veto.
The veto jeopardizes our successful Family Care program, which currently serves 124,000 children….The cruel reach of this presidential veto will be felt by children up and down our state in every county, district and community. There are an estimated 254,000 uninsured children in New Jersey….The futures of these children may be forever hindered by the lack of access to preventative treatment and medical care in the here and now.
After Bush vetoed the bill Oct. 3, children’s health advocates, community groups, unions and others have rallied to speak out against the veto. This week, in one of the largest rallies, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney told a Capitol Hill rally in Washington, D.C.:
In this great and wealthy nation, no child should be forced to limit his or her future because of health problems that can be managed or even prevented with proper care.
And yet—in the richest country in the world—nearly 10 million of our children can’t see a doctor when they need one. Prevention is a proven money-saver and yet 10 million kids can’t even see a doctor for a check-up.
Bush’s veto comes at a time when America’s health care system is clearly broken. Fewer and fewer employers are offering health coverage to their workers. And many of the workers who are offered health insurance at work can’t afford to buy coverage for their families. The cost of health insurance is growing at three times the rate of our paychecks.
Reaching across generations, the Alliance for Retired Americans held rallies and marched at several congressional district offices, urging lawmakers in Ohio, Nevada, Indiana, South Carolina and other states to buck Bush’s veto.
In Missouri, ignoring heavy thunderstorms and a tornado watch yesterday, a dozen union members from the Northwest Missouri Central Labor Council marched at the St. Joseph office of Rep. Sam Graves (R ), who earlier said he would support Bush’s veto. With signs reading “Billions for the War in Iraq, Veto for Kids’ Health Care.” They urged Graves to reverse his stance, one that central labor council President Mike Veale describes as
plain shameful. If the House overrides the president’s veto, 59,00 more Missouri kids will have health insurance.
Bush’s earlier proposal to renew SCHIP would have thrown some 800,000 children from the program, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) said during this morning’s House debate. Bush now claims he is willing to negotiate a “compromise.” But Bush has continually ignored the fact that the vetoed bill itself was a compromise. Says Samuel:
It is unacceptable to claim support for children and CHIP and then vote to sustain the President’s veto, with vague promises that another compromise bill will deliver real help to our nation’s children.
Democratic leaders have already compromised with Republicans to get a bill with broad bipartisan support and the President’s proposed level of funding won’t even keep pace with the rising cost of coverage for the children now enrolled in CHIP. To compromise further would mean shutting out some or possibly all of the nearly 4 million children who gain coverage under this bill.
Perhaps Newsday sums up Bush’s action the best:
Bush’s hard line against SCHIP expansion is callous and potentially costly. Uninsured, sick children do get medical attention, but often later than they should and in costly emergency rooms. Administration officials said…that Bush is focused on protecting the private health care system. He should be focused on protecting uninsured children.
Funding for the program expired Sept. 30. But Congress passed a continuing resolution to keep government agencies open that haven’t had their appropriations bills approved and included money to fund SCHIP at current levels through Nov. 16. It’s unclear at this time how soon Congress will act on another SCHIP bill or how far Bush is willing to “compromise.”
10 Comments
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
I think there needs to be an all inclusive of the citizenry of the U.S. to support this movement. It is not just a problem for smokers to pay for indigent children’s healthcare!!! That in itself is blatantly discriminatory to have a small part of the population pay for societal problem. Find another way!
George Bush the Decider
Mr. President you claim to be the decider.
What good are you doing you are the divider.
The country is divided about the Iraq war.
You increased the divide between rich and poor.
Tax breaks for America’s richest one percent.
Accumulating debit as if we’re hell bent.
There is the largest national debit any time for this land.
Our children and grandchildren must pay back China and Japan.
The Government waist and the fraud that is out of control.
You have your corporate buddies on the government dole.
We could all have health care with the money they stole.
To veto child health care just proves that you have no Soul.
You are the decider of who should lives and who dies
Children with out health care and a war started with lies.
Preemptive war, the patriot act and FISA stole our liberty
For those who listened in, and read e-mail you want Immunity?
How dare you preach about democracy for Iraq.
We want our lives, liberty and democracy back.
You are the worst President in all of our history,
Because of your lies, the debit and untold misery.
Your sins include all the Iraqi and American Lives lost
Your arrogant behavior, and respect for this country it has cost.
You made the worst foreign relations blunder of all in our history.
How you we’re elected or selected in 2000 is still a mystery.
David Hurlburt
Every republican that voted to sustain the Cheny-bush veto should be recalled today. Every republican in the Wisconsin state assembly who have shut down the government again should be recalled from office today. This includes Frank Lasee R-2nd assembly who misrepresents the workers in this district where I live.
Our Founding Fathers said no taxation without representation. I’m gonna stop paying taxes. Just how is this current government, Dems or Repubs, representing our interests? Our infrastructure is falling apart, our schools are lousy, health care is a joke, good jobs are hard to come by, and the regulatory agencies are run by stooges of the regulated.
The top priorities of the people in power seem to be waging war, making sure the rich don’t have to pay taxes, and dismantling all useful parts of our government.
Red,yellow,black or white ,they are precious in his sight…In God We Trust ! What are you dong to our America! George and all who let that veto of many children’s only chance at medical care,shame on you! You have chosen greed over basic human welfare! I stand here today,deeply greived by my country’s decisions and the continual greed based society we have become,as there were not enough votes to override this veto,our representatives must be bought and sold by the insurance industry,dependence on oil and profits that keep the average consumer in a slave state of living. What are you going to do with the record number of homeless people you are about to create,you cannot send us to your war to fight,we are too sick,that is our saving grace,I guess a federal burial plan will replace SHIP! Yes it is that serious,but do not worry,just sit back and play politics,while we lose our homes,health,food,transportation,jobs,heat,water,electricity,phone,or any basic human rights,while you are at it just veto the human spirit and any pride in America. I used to pray for our leaders to make sound decisions but now I just gave you up to God to deal with your stubborn power hunger and the consequences of those poor decisions ,God save your soul,I give up,the next leaders of our country will not be able to repair all of the damage done ,and I will pray for them to bring America back to God and his people. I am so dissappointed in our leaders right now ,they just downright seem to be on the wrong side of anything pure and good,like they have lost touch of everything America stands for and going the opposite direction,WHY? As for me I am still sticking with the God of my forefathers,I do not want anything to do with the God these guys are following! Let my people GO!
I feel that President Bush is wrong in not signing the SCHIP bill for disadvantaged kids. Healthcare for the kids is important and if the Pentagon can afford million dollar toilet seats etc. we can afford healthcare for our kids.
We need to get these Heartless Greedy Repubicans out of office. They are afraid of socialized Healthcare that is a lie. They do not care about the poor. They do not live, see, shop, drive by the poor. They live in the U.S.A. and have 2 homes in different areas. There children do not go to school with ours. There children will never have to worry about healthcare or money,or their childrens children. Bush LIED AND CHEATED for 2 ELECTIONS! This 9-11 was a set up for us to go to war and He and all his Buddies will make Billions I pray for these people to get what they deserve. The Billions we are paying in Iraq, and he will not even take care of our Chilren in the U.S. Where are the Republican Patriots they are all about money they will sell our Country!
Let’s be sure that Mr. Bush looks like a champion because he has won the “battle” in Iraq.
But then allow him to forget those in his own land who ask for help because they have no other way to give their children health care. I am one of those “American” Citizens. Everything seems to be going backwards.
My husband & I were on a WA state health care program until my husband got his plumber’s liscense & we made too much money for us to qualify any longer. He works for a small family business that does not offer any insurance. Why is it when you feel as if you are getting ahead in life you are set 2 steps backwards. Isn’t that the American way now????
Our children are on the SCHIP program & we pay so much a month depending on our income. It helps out our family more than I can even put into words.
We must let it be heard loud and clear that the “American” People are not being thought of in any of the decisions that are being made in the Senate or Congress.
Tell me once again why is it that my husband & I pay taxes??
If I wasn’t absolutely certain that I would be one of those arrested by refusing to pay my taxes, I certainly would not pay the government one dime. However, we know who doesn’t pay taxes and legally gets away with it! This country continues to survive by the sweat, blood and tears of the American people - not the government, not the large, exploitive corporations, not the politicians - but AMERICANS - who go to work each day, struggling to survive, sending our sons and daughters to fight an unconscionable ‘invasion’ our government calls a war, trying to stay healthy for lack of adequate health care… yes, this country ONLY survives at all because of the wonderful collection of human beings that make up this great nation. Think how much better we all would be if we actually had a government that was on our side!!!
We have achance to elect a president that supports health care for all americans. Lets see how many people turn out and do the right think on election day by exercising their right to vote and elect Hillary Clinton as our next president.