Friday, 16 November 2007
Some Democrats Unwilling To Budge On SCHIP
Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have been negotiating with House Republicans to pass legislation expanding the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
But eight Democratic U.S. senators said they would not support a compromise bill if it took away coverage for parents currently on SCHIP, reported the New York Times.
“Our states have taken the lead to provide healthcare to this specific population, and we do not want to inhibit their ability to continue providing this important coverage,” wrote the senators in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer.
Those who signed the letter include Senators Amy Klobuchar, Frank R. Lautenberg, Robert Menendez, Jeff Bingaman, Jack Reed, Sheldon Whitehouse, Russ Feingold, and Herb Kohl.
They warn other Democrats in the House from compromising too much, and they’ve created a potential hurdle for SCHIP legislation to be passed with a veto-proof margin. President Bush has already vetoed one version of the SCHIP bill, and it was sustained in the House.
The White House has made it clear they want to provide SCHIP coverage for only children. They argue that covering parents was not the mission of the program when it was created in 1997.
But many believe covering parents increases the chances they will get their children insured.
“Parent coverage is an important part of keeping families healthy, and I don’t believe we should roll back the gains we’ve made in this area,” said Senator Bingaman.
“When you cover parents, you get more children enrolled,” said Heather Howard, policy counsel to New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine.
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