The New York Times-20080124-Veto Stands On Measure To Expand Health Plan
Return to: The_New_York_Times-20080124
Veto Stands On Measure To Expand Health Plan
Democrats cited the nation's economic problems as a reason to expand a popular health insurance program for children on Wednesday, but their effort failed as the House sustained President Bush's veto of a bill to provide coverage to nearly four million uninsured children.
The vote for the bill was 260 to 152. Supporters were 15 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass the measure over the president's objections.
Amid this economic downturn, with skyrocketing energy costs, a record number of mortgage foreclosures and fewer new jobs, the rate of unemployment has jumped dramatically, said Representative Allyson Y. Schwartz, Democrat of Pennsylvania. Two-thirds of unemployed individuals lose health care coverage for their families when they lose their jobs. In times like these, the State Children's Health Insurance Program is needed most.
Republicans said the vote was a political stunt, intended to embarrass Mr. Bush before his State of the Union address next week.
The bill would pump $35 billion more into the child health program, providing a total of $60 billion over the next five years. The money would allow states to cover nearly four million children, in addition to the six million already on the rolls. The program helps families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private insurance.
Democrats made impassioned pleas for the bill as a way to alleviate hardship caused by the nation's economic woes. But they did not convert any Republicans. On Oct. 18, when the House sustained the president's veto of a similar bill, 44 Republicans voted for it. By contrast, on Wednesday, 42 Republicans voted with 218 Democrats to override the veto.
Some Republicans said the nation's economic problems strengthened their case against the bill.
We will come back to this floor in the next week or two with a $150 billion economic stimulus package to get us out of a recession, said Representative Phil Gingrey, Republican of Georgia. We need the money for that. We don't want to be squandering money to provide health insurance for those who can afford to do it for themselves.
In his latest veto message, Mr. Bush said the bill would result in government health care for approximately two million children who already have private health care coverage, from employers or other sources.
Mr. Bush welcomed the House vote on Wednesday and criticized the bill, saying it would have expanded the program to higher-income households while increasing taxes. The bill would have increased the cigarette tax by 61 cents, to $1 a pack.
Representative Dave Camp, Republican of Michigan, said the need for the bill was less urgent because Congress in December extended the child health program through March 2009, with enough money to continue coverage for all current beneficiaries.
But Democrats said that was inadequate.
Worsening economic conditions will increase demand for the Children's Health Insurance Program and Medicaid, said Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, Democrat of New York. A million more children a year may need public health insurance.
The child health program was created with bipartisan support in 1997, and two Republican senators, Charles E. Grassley of Iowa and Orrin G. Hatch of Utah, helped write the bills vetoed by Mr. Bush. The legislation became a symbol of ideological differences.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said that the bill fulfilled our moral obligation to our children. Other Democrats said the nation had a duty to cover those who could not afford insurance, with children having the first claim on available resources.
But the House Republican whip, Representative Roy Blunt of Missouri, said the bill was aimed more at paving the way to government-run health care than making sure poor kids have access to adequate care.
