House tries SCHIP again

Posted: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 12:54 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: Congress

From NBC's Mike Viqueira
The House will vote this afternoon on an expansion of SCHIP, the program that provides health insurance to children from lower income households. The Senate is also expected to act in the coming days.

Recall that the last Congress twice sent similar legislation to President Bush, only to have it vetoed. The aim this time is to have both the House and the Senate pass the measure and have it on President Obama's desk soon after he takes office.

Sponsors of the bill say that the $35 billion expansion will cover an additional 4 million kids, bringing the total to 11 million. It is paid with a 61 cents per pack tax on cigarettes.

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Comments

$35 billion!? What's $35 billion more when your spending trillions on so many other things we don't need. $35 billion doesn't even let you bail out the auto industry properly.

And, SCHIPS is for the children. Didn't know that "children" were now 26 years old, but if it's for the children, then it has to be good, right?

For the Children (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 1:01 PM)

Just like gas tax, when volume drops due to price, revenue will drop. Then democants will seek "their" revenue. With gas taxes they want to increase, cause after all we know "energy doesn't cost enough" but with cigarettes, when it drops due to tax increases, further increases will actually REDUCE revenue generated.

Wonder where they will steal it then? I propose a beer & wine tax. But that would never clear the kennedy's. Hmm who will we punish next???

MAYBE YOU!

Ted K, Hyannis, MA (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 1:05 PM)

Democrats can't spend money fast enough, can they? Not that Republicans had much trouble either, but at least they tried to make it look like they weren't.

D.Dade, Florida (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 1:08 PM)

House tries schip again...Ron tries earlier comments again. I take exception to you comments about keeping friends close and keeping enemies closer. This is a change in politics that the media needs to get used to. Obama is the President of all Americans. I may not agree with George Will, but he certainly is not my enemy or Obama's enemy. He is an intelligent American with a different point of view. Obama says he is open to all ideas from all ideologies. Lets try to remember that Osama is an enemy...other Americans are not our enemies. I know, it was just a phrase, but you can do better than that.

Ron Indiana (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 1:10 PM)

Ron Indiana (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 1:10 PM):

Agreed Ron. Obama's intentions are obviously to build bridges with people of all opinions and ideas in order to regain in this country a sense of "one Nation" even if we have our difference of opinions. I don't see Obama viewing G. Will or the others as enemies but rather challenges to gain compromise and agreement with in order to move this county forward using good will and team work.

C A, Tuscaloosa, AL (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 1:24 PM)

Typical Republican rhetoric. I believe that wanted you to believe "Country First", didn't they? As long as you don't have to spend money on the less fortunate......it's okay to keep sending it to Wall Street, though. Also, they will now start gripping about the money Obama NEEDS to spend to get the economy back on track and forget about the last 8 god awful years of Georgie spending like his hair was on fire and running up the deficit. Republicans have selective memories. Bunch of hypocrits. All of them.

Diane from Illinois (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 1:34 PM)

I'm all for children getting healthcare. However, I do not think a 26 year old should fall under SCHIP. That is a huge problem I have with SCHIP. The cutoff age should be 18 or when the child graduates from high school.

Kim W Virginia Beach, VA (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 1:36 PM)

bush is still the president. a few more days folks.

ace (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 1:37 PM)

I say pass the Schip and those who don't want it simply say no thank you I am an independant Republican, I don't need help from anybody. If my kid starves it is his own fault because he didn't eat the crumbs I provided for him. If my kid is as stupid as I am it is because the school didn't do their job. It is not my job to educate my kid that is everyone else's job. As long as I have the Good Book and my AK-47 I have all I need. Yup, I am an independant Republican I need help of no kind from anyone. When I am old I will say no thanks to Social Security and Medicare as I am an independant Republican I can fend for myself thank you very much.

moir (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 1:42 PM)

Ron Indiana - Obama is the President of all Americans.

Has Brazil been notified?

Tans Stevens, Tulsa OK (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 1:51 PM)

This bill passed the house and senate twice, and our President , being the good steward of our money that he was vetoed it twice. All I see is comments on how Obama is going to spend all our money, fools, GWB already spent all our money. Only the wealthy benefited from the policys in the last 8 years, so you go ahead and begrudge health care for children. I can see it makes you feel smart to be a fiscal conservative, and Ill bet most of you same people claim to be christians also. I for one think we have got to be fisicaly conservative where rich people are concerned. As one of the working poor, who has never asked or received anything that I didnt work for, think its about time for some relief for those of us who dont have it all.

marty,s.c. (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 1:57 PM)

Get ready because it is coming......Change that is....Tax and spend is the only change we will see for the next four years.

Not ready for Democrats, Wisconsin (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 2:20 PM)

Diminishing revenue source. The tax is on all tobacco not just ciggies. For instance the tax on a pound of RYO tobacco will be $24.00 (not a typo). It's just a beginning of an onslaught on personal responsibility and personal choice.

Cigar Dave, Asheville,NC (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 2:23 PM)

That would be one item off the "to-do" list, and 1,457,983 to go before the first recess. At that point, they'll be about half way caught up for the past 14 years on inactivity, and it might be time for them to catch a breath.

Ron ~ well said. Now, please convince republicans so we can move this country forward. Osama = enemy; Obama ≠ enemy.

Anna Molly (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 2:23 PM)

Tax and spend is the only change we will see for the next four years.
Not ready for Democrats, Wisconsin
******************************************************
As opposed to tax cuts for the wealthy and spend, like during the Bush years you mean? Yeah, he left us in good shape, didn't he?

Diane from Illinois (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 2:39 PM)

OMG, once again, facts fall to fallacy. I am a Health and Human Service worker in TExas and deal with CHIP children every day . A 26 year old cannot get CHIP unless SHE is pregnant and it above the FPIL (federal poverty limit) for pregnant women's medicaid. At that time, they can get what is called CHIP perinatal. However, otherwise, the CHIP program ends for children once they reach age 19. At least get your facts correct before arguing your point, thank you very much.

Steve (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 2:44 PM)

I think it's time to move to single payer health insurance. With single payer every man, woman and child would have access to health care and we can end the insanity of fighting over how much should be allocated for schip and who qualifies. Single payer is the only way to go.

Heather, WA (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 2:46 PM)

Tax and spend is a much better policy than spend and then borrow the money. besides, everyone with any sense knows that if someone does not have health insurance they get free care anyway and everyone with health insurance pays for it. As far as the 26year old go - they should have it, not all jobs offer health insurance (thanks to the repubs)and you would be supprised at the young people who can't afford the insurance or are at a gap between college (yep, getting a masters or PhD is still fulltime college usually with a bad part time job)and a job that offers coverage - and wham! Bad things happen to good people, they fall, they are in a wreck, they get hit by a car, or some idiot shoots them. It happens folks, you already pay for it every time someone who is uninsured goes to the ER, so now maybe it is time to change the way we do medicine - get rid of the insurance companies. The attorneys may be the devil, but the devil's handmaden is the insurance company and it's CEO and management!

Union Baby, Tennessee (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 2:49 PM)

>>>OMG, once again, facts fall to fallacy. I am a Health and Human Service worker in TExas and deal with CHIP children every day . A 26 year old cannot get CHIP unless SHE is pregnant and it above the FPIL (federal poverty limit) for pregnant women's medicaid. At that time, they can get what is called CHIP perinatal. However, otherwise, the CHIP program ends for children once they reach age 19. At least get your facts correct before arguing your point, thank you very much.
Steve (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 2:44 PM)

==========
Thanks for setting that straight, Steve. I love how the bushies do their drive-by postings of their ridiculous assertions that have no basis in fact (at least facts that they are willing to provide). They proudly put their ignorance on display everyday on these pages, and wonder why the rest of the country is leaving them behind. As I've stated in previous postings, I feel nothing but pitty for these people who continue to wallow in the dark ages of their ideology.

Meanwhile, who's partying on the 20th?

6 Days Until Inauguration Day!
http://jawillie.blog.com

jawillie, Philadelphia, PA. (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 3:05 PM)

Get ready because it is coming......Change that is....Tax and spend is the only change we will see for the next four years.
Not ready for Democrats, Wisconsin
---------------------------------------------------
I prefer the pay as you go (tax and spend as you call it) rather than the borrow and spend (last 8 years of voodoo economics). It is a matter of who will pay for it the consumer now or their great grandchildren in the future. Our choice.

eagle1776 (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 4:38 PM)

Republicans again prove that they are not conservative. Conservatives take care of kids.
It is also conservative to pay your bills not up the debt like Bush Jr. & Reagan did. Republicans are hardly in a position to talk about spending money.

John, Helena MT (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 5:19 PM)

Here we go again with the misinformation campaign...FACT: SChip is for children under 19 years of age. In order to get coverage up to age 26 you need to be female, pregnant and exceed the federal poverty limit.
I would think providing health insurance to children would be an objective everyone can agree on...it's too bad Republican political BS gets in the way of really doing something worthwhile for the country. C'mon...how about putting country first for a change

BB, MD (Sent Wednesday, January 14, 2009 5:27 PM)

RECORD OPPORTUNITY
In the past it’s been difficult for the uninsured, especially children, to receive quality ongoing and follow-up healthcare because there was no previous record of their condition or treatments. Valuable time was wasted gathering basic information, and in some cases essential health histories have been lost. The lack of continuity in treating the uninsured is one of the big problems facing our health system. The proposed SCHIP extension will potentially insure 4 million children, making portable electronic health records more important than ever.
More discussion: www.healthcaretownhall.com

Jeremy Engdahl-Johnson, Seattle, Wash. (Sent Thursday, January 15, 2009 10:37 AM)

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