House Passes Bill To Expand Children’s Health Coverage
In a vote of 290-135, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill on Wednesday that would extend health insurance coverage to four million children.
The passage of the bill represents a health care victory for the Obama administration, and is a first step towards President Obama’s push for universal coverage by the end of his first term.
The bill calls for an additional $32.8 billion in spending on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which will be generated by increasing the federal tobacco tax.Â
"Unemployment keeps rising and people are going from worried to scared," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) during the House debate on the bill.
"At such a time, it is our most basic economic and moral responsibility to provide health care to the most vulnerable among us."
Although 40 Republicans supported the bill, many were critical of the legislation’s cost, and the fact it would put an estimated 2.4 million children in to the SCHIP program who would otherwise have access to private insurance. Former President George W. Bush twice vetoed similar bills in late 2007.
"The Democrats continue to push their government-run health care agenda – universal coverage as they call it," said Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX).
The additional funding for SCHIP will come from a significant increase in the federal government’s excise tax on cigarettes ““ from 62 cents to $1.01 per pack.
Democratic legislators have long sought to expand SCHIP. The Senate passed the same bill last week, and President Obama has made it a top priority during his first 100 days.
SCHIP was established more than ten years ago to provide health coverage to children in families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to pay for private coverage. An estimated 7 million children are currently enrolled in the program.
Federal funding for SCHIP was set to expire on March 31 unless Congress took action.
Republicans say that they support the program and providing additional funding for SCHIP. However, they argued that Democrats were expanding the program beyond its original goal. Instead, Republicans say they would like the states to cover middle-class families who are unable to afford private insurance.
"This debate is about, do we want a children’s health insurance program that covers every child in America with state and federal dollars regardless of their ability to pay?" said Rep. Joe Barton, (R-TX).
"Do we want to freeze out the private sector for health insurance?"
Critics of the bill also argue that the increase in tobacco taxes will hit low-income people the hardest, since they are more likely to smoke than wealthier individuals. Many also object to expanding the program and to Medicaid coverage of children of newly arrived legal immigrants.
However, the bill’s supporters say that guaranteeing adequate health care to children is a matter of priorities.
An estimated 4 million people have lost employer-sponsored insurance in the past 12 months, according to Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ).
"Do they keep their families’ health insurance or do they put food on the table at night? During this economic recession, these kinds of decisions are unfortunately becoming more common," Pallone told the AP.
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