Point-counterpoint on State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization

A couple of days ago, I got an e-mail from David Vitter’s office, explaining the senator’s opposition to SCHIP. Below is the text of Vitter’s e-mail. Below that is a statement by Jim Wallis, author of God’s Politics, supporting SCHIP.

Comments, anyone?

Vitter’s e-mail:

Dear Mr. Ward,

Thank you for contacting me in support of expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). I appreciate hearing your thoughts on this important issue.

As you may know, SCHIP was established in 1997 to allow states to develop programs to provide uninsured, impoverished children with health care coverage. Each state has the flexibility to choose to provide health care coverage to low-income, uninsured children through a separate child health program, an expansion of Medicaid, or a combination of these two approaches.

I believe SCHIP should remain focused on providing health care coverage to impoverished children and should not shift health care enrollment from private coverage to government managed plans as the current proposal would do. Rather than letting Washington politicians and bureaucrats make health care decisions for families, we should provide families with more access and choice in health care. I believe we can make health care more accessible and affordable by giving every American the resources and right to purchase health insurance in a free market. That is why I support SCHIP legislation that would establish a refundable tax credit for individuals and families to purchase private health insurance. This proposal would allow families and individuals the freedom to choose the plan that best suits their needs and would be revenue-neutral to the federal government.

Rest assured that I will continue to work in the U.S. Senate to provide access, quality and choice in health care and will keep your concerns in mind. Once again, thank you for contacting me about this important issue. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about other issues important to you and your family.

Sincerely,
Senator David Vitter
United States Senator

Wallis’s statement:

Imagine a popular program that has existed for ten years with bipartisan support, providing health insurance to about 6 million low income children. The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is up for reauthorization this year and Congress is debating how to extend the hope of coverage to 9 million children who are currently uninsured, while protecting coverage for 6.6 million children who depend on SCHIP to see a doctor. But SCHIP is caught in the middle of a political battle – this one between a bipartisan majority in Congress and the nation’s governors on one hand and an isolated, defiant ideological President on the other.

A Senate bill was approved by the Finance Committee last week by a 17-4 vote, with 6 Republicans and all 11 Democrats supporting an increase of $35 billion dollars over five years. Several leading conservatives were strong supporters. The New York Times reported Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) as saying, “I am proud to support this important bill, which will provide health insurance coverage to approximately four million more children who would otherwise be uninsured.” According to The Los Angeles Times, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), one of the original authors of the program, said: “It doesn't make me comfortable to advocate for such a large increase in spending. But it's important to note that [the program] has been tremendously successful. And one of the lessons we've learned is that it's going to cost more to cover additional kids.” The bill is scheduled to be on the Senate floor next week.

For its part, the House is proposing legislation that would provide an increase of $50 billion, which would cover an estimated five million more children. Both versions would be at least partially funded by an increase in the federal tax on tobacco products.

Last weekend at their annual summer meeting, the National Governor’s Association sent a letter to the President and Congress. While not specifically supporting either bill, the Governors said: “While we have not taken a position on the actual overall funding amount or the sources of revenue used as offsets, we are encouraged by the Senate Finance Committee's efforts to move a bipartisan reauthorization bill that provides increased funding…”

And President Bush? He says he’ll veto either version. “It's a way to encourage people to transfer from the private sector to government health-care plans. . . . I think it's wrong, and I think it's a mistake.” A White House spokesman added that the president’s advisers “will certainly recommend a veto” of the Senate committee's proposal because of its size and the plan to fund it with a tax increase. The administration plan for only an additional $5 billion dollars wouldn’t even cover all the children currently insured.

Remember, this is the President who is content with spending $12 billion a month on war, yet finds $7-10 billion a year on making sure that kids have health insurance “wrong” and “a mistake.” I can’t imagine a clearer case of utterly distorted priorities. Compassionate conservatism has been on life support for the last several years of this administration. President Bush’s threatened veto of SCHIP will officially pronounce it dead.

We have been working with the PICO National Network, one of the leading groups organizing for SCHIP, to remind policymakers that children’s health coverage is a moral issue for the faith community. Fr. John Baumann, Executive Director of PICO had this reaction to the President’s threat: “(SCHIP) is a highly successful program that has always had bi-partisan support as a pragmatic way to help states reach children who are not poor enough for Medicaid but whose parents cannot obtain coverage for their children at work. SCHIP is a popular and successful program that should not be dragged down into a partisan political fight over health care ideology.”

I agree. For far too long, Americans in poverty have been trapped in a partisan debate. Now, a strongly bipartisan program that works is trapped by a President who sees only ideology. Call your Senators and Member of Congress, and urge them to support the necessary expansion of SCHIP for America’s kids. It’s the right thing to do.

Comments

[Aaron]

Vitter is the same guy who is 100% behind every funding increase to Iraq, $12 billion/month according to Wallis, yet won't support $7-10 billion a year for children's health insurance because he's ideologically opposed to even one family going off private insurance to government insurance. Him and his lofty ideals are the definition of jerk. He doesn't care about the money, it's the principle of the thing. Actions like this will be remembered next election, I can see the TRUE rhetoric now: "Senator Vitter is against health insurance for children."