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10-18-2007, 09:16 AM
House to Vote on Overriding Veto of U.S. Kids' Health Measure
By Aliza Marcus
Oct. 18 (Bloomberg) (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=a0R8cgXPjmoQ&refer=home) -- House supporters of legislation to expand a U.S. children's health program will attempt today to override President George W. Bush's veto, as they weigh whether to compromise if they fall short.
Bush's rejection on Oct. 3 of the legislation to add $35 billion over five years to the State Children's Health Insurance Program was the fourth veto of his presidency. None has been overturned, and Bush said yesterday it's ``unlikely'' this one will be.
If the veto stands, Democrats who control Congress would have to decide whether to settle for less money and stricter limits on the family income of kids covered by the program, as Bush has proposed, or to keep sending him the same measure and attempt to blame the president for leaving poor children without health care.
``If you're a Democrat, you may be thinking, `Maybe it's good if we do lose' because you can hold it up as a poster boy of what's wrong with the Republican Party,'' said Dennis W. Johnson, a professor of political management at George Washington University in Washington, in an interview.
The 10-year-old children's health program, known as Schip, expired on Sept. 30. Congress passed legislation extending it unchanged through Nov. 15 because of the impasse with Bush.
The House approved a reauthorization and expansion of the program last month on a 265-159 vote, short of the two-thirds needed to override a veto. Forty-five of the 200 Republicans joined most Democrats to support the legislation. Then the Senate sent the legislation to Bush on a 67-29 vote, more than the required margin.
10 Million Children
The legislation would increase enrollment in the health program to 10 million children from 6 million currently. While Bush said yesterday that ``we'll work with Congress to find the money we need'' for poor children, he also has said the legislation he vetoed would subsidize care for middle-class families who can afford private insurance.
An advertising campaign by a coalition of activist groups and unions targeted Republicans who opposed the measure. Supporters lobbied lawmakers and brought children who benefit from the program to press conferences in Washington.
Two out of three Americans oppose Bush's decision to veto expanded funding for Schip, according to a survey by the Harvard School of Public Health, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and National Public Radio.
The poll, released yesterday, found that 35 percent of those surveyed would be less likely to vote for a member of Congress who opposes the bill.
Middle-Class Families
The survey also found that 66 percent of Americans support subsidized care for kids in families earning about $40,000, compared with 32 percent for families with incomes of about $60,000.
The conflict over the measure rests partly on whether the legislation gives states too much flexibility to enroll kids from middle-income families. The program originally was intended for families with incomes up to 200 percent of the poverty level, currently $41,300 for a family of four.
Over the years, some states expanded eligibility, citing higher costs of living. Eight states, plus Washington, allow kids to enroll if their parents have incomes up to $62,000 for a family of four, according to the Kaiser foundation, a health- care policy center based in Menlo Park, California. New Jersey allows children in families earning up to $72,300,
Bush has said the measure he vetoed would permit families earning as much as $83,000 a year to enroll their kids. The administration recently rejected a request by New York state to raise eligibility to that level.
Supporters of the legislation said it includes incentives for states to focus on low-income children. States pay about 30 percent of the costs, and the measure would reduce U.S. funding for kids in families earning more than $62,000.
Bush has vetoed four measures during his presidency: two that would have loosened restrictions on U.S. funding for stem- cell research, one on Iraq war spending, and the Schip measure.
To contact the reporter on this story: Aliza Marcus in Washington at amarcus8@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: October 18, 2007 05:14 EDT
http://pnews.org/2images/mommy-sez-dumb.jpg
"Remember, every childs is precious --until they leaves the vaginas..."
By Aliza Marcus
Oct. 18 (Bloomberg) (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=a0R8cgXPjmoQ&refer=home) -- House supporters of legislation to expand a U.S. children's health program will attempt today to override President George W. Bush's veto, as they weigh whether to compromise if they fall short.
Bush's rejection on Oct. 3 of the legislation to add $35 billion over five years to the State Children's Health Insurance Program was the fourth veto of his presidency. None has been overturned, and Bush said yesterday it's ``unlikely'' this one will be.
If the veto stands, Democrats who control Congress would have to decide whether to settle for less money and stricter limits on the family income of kids covered by the program, as Bush has proposed, or to keep sending him the same measure and attempt to blame the president for leaving poor children without health care.
``If you're a Democrat, you may be thinking, `Maybe it's good if we do lose' because you can hold it up as a poster boy of what's wrong with the Republican Party,'' said Dennis W. Johnson, a professor of political management at George Washington University in Washington, in an interview.
The 10-year-old children's health program, known as Schip, expired on Sept. 30. Congress passed legislation extending it unchanged through Nov. 15 because of the impasse with Bush.
The House approved a reauthorization and expansion of the program last month on a 265-159 vote, short of the two-thirds needed to override a veto. Forty-five of the 200 Republicans joined most Democrats to support the legislation. Then the Senate sent the legislation to Bush on a 67-29 vote, more than the required margin.
10 Million Children
The legislation would increase enrollment in the health program to 10 million children from 6 million currently. While Bush said yesterday that ``we'll work with Congress to find the money we need'' for poor children, he also has said the legislation he vetoed would subsidize care for middle-class families who can afford private insurance.
An advertising campaign by a coalition of activist groups and unions targeted Republicans who opposed the measure. Supporters lobbied lawmakers and brought children who benefit from the program to press conferences in Washington.
Two out of three Americans oppose Bush's decision to veto expanded funding for Schip, according to a survey by the Harvard School of Public Health, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and National Public Radio.
The poll, released yesterday, found that 35 percent of those surveyed would be less likely to vote for a member of Congress who opposes the bill.
Middle-Class Families
The survey also found that 66 percent of Americans support subsidized care for kids in families earning about $40,000, compared with 32 percent for families with incomes of about $60,000.
The conflict over the measure rests partly on whether the legislation gives states too much flexibility to enroll kids from middle-income families. The program originally was intended for families with incomes up to 200 percent of the poverty level, currently $41,300 for a family of four.
Over the years, some states expanded eligibility, citing higher costs of living. Eight states, plus Washington, allow kids to enroll if their parents have incomes up to $62,000 for a family of four, according to the Kaiser foundation, a health- care policy center based in Menlo Park, California. New Jersey allows children in families earning up to $72,300,
Bush has said the measure he vetoed would permit families earning as much as $83,000 a year to enroll their kids. The administration recently rejected a request by New York state to raise eligibility to that level.
Supporters of the legislation said it includes incentives for states to focus on low-income children. States pay about 30 percent of the costs, and the measure would reduce U.S. funding for kids in families earning more than $62,000.
Bush has vetoed four measures during his presidency: two that would have loosened restrictions on U.S. funding for stem- cell research, one on Iraq war spending, and the Schip measure.
To contact the reporter on this story: Aliza Marcus in Washington at amarcus8@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: October 18, 2007 05:14 EDT
http://pnews.org/2images/mommy-sez-dumb.jpg
"Remember, every childs is precious --until they leaves the vaginas..."