President Vetoes Health Insurance for Children of Working Poor
[Posted 10/04/07]

Despite bipartisan support in both houses of Congress, President Bush this week vetoed a bill that would have expanded the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to cover 10 million poor children.

The expansion would cost an additional $35 billion over five years (for a total of $60 billion), which would have been financed by a 61-cent increase in the federal tobacco tax.

The program, which currently provides insurance for 1.1 million children in California and 6.6 million nationwide, expired last week. If the program isn’t extended, millions of children could at least temporarily lose their health insurance as early as next month.

The bill passed 67 to 29 in the Senate, with enough support to override a veto. But the 265-to-159 House vote fell short of the two-thirds margin needed.

“Failure to fund SCHIP is a slap in the face to America’s children, who we need to make a health-care funding priority,” says CMA President Anmol S. Mahal, M.D.

Contact: Elizabeth McNeil, 415/882-3376 or emcneil@cmanet.org.