George Bush Leaves Children Behind In Health Insurance Proposal Stance
July 19th, 2007
By JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief
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President George Bush is opting to leave some children behind by refusing to renew a program to provide health insurance to poor kids:
President Bush yesterday rejected entreaties by his Republican allies that he compromise with Democrats on legislation to renew a popular program that provides health coverage to poor children, saying that expanding the program would enlarge the role of the federal government at the expense of private insurance.
And that’s logical, isn’t it?
George Bush doesn’t believe in enlarging the role of the federal government.
He believes in keeping the government, the relationship between the three branches, and checks and balances exactly the way the founding fathers wanted it.
Well….maybe not exactly. But on THIS, he believes in keeping the federal government the way it has been… MORE:
The president said he objects on philosophical grounds to a bipartisan Senate proposal to boost the State Children’s Health Insurance Program by $35 billion over five years. Bush has proposed $5 billion in increased funding and has threatened to veto the Senate compromise and a more costly expansion being contemplated in the House.
“I support the initial intent of the program,” Bush said in an interview with The Washington Post after a factory tour and a discussion on health care with small-business owners in Landover. “My concern is that when you expand eligibility . . . you’re really beginning to open up an avenue for people to switch from private insurance to the government.”
The 10-year-old program, which is set to expire on Sept. 30, costs the federal government $5 billion a year and helps provide health coverage to 6.6 million low-income children whose families do not qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford private insurance on their own.
About 3.3 million additional children would be covered under the proposal developed by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Republican Sens. Charles E. Grassley (Iowa) and Orrin G. Hatch (Utah), among others. It would provide the program $60 billion over five years, compared with $30 billion under Bush’s proposal. And it would rely on a 61-cent increase in the federal excise tax on cigarettes, to $1 a pack, which Bush opposes.
But the Bush administration has consistently battled the tobacco companies.
Well…maybe not exactly. The Post goes on:
Grassley and Hatch, in a joint statement this week, implored the president to rescind his veto threat. They warned that Democrats might seek an expansion of $50 billion or more if there is no compromise.
BOTTOM LINE: Once again this administration is not giving independent voters and non-conservatives much to cheer about. Its actions, stances and orientation are now becoming predictable and all of them taken together may make 2008 a historic year for a massive protest vote on the part of many voters.
Including the parents of the kids Bush wants to leave behind.
This entry was posted on Thursday, July 19th, 2007 at 12:36 am and is filed under Republicans, Children, Bush Administration, George W. Bush, Health Care, Congress, Legislation, Health, Politics. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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