Voinovich Supports GOP Alternative for SCHIP

Release:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator George V. Voinovich (R-OH) today voted in favor of an alternative to the pending State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) expansion legislation that will ensure all children currently enrolled in the program maintain their coverage and that provides additional funding for states to find other currently eligible children who are not enrolled in the program. The alternative failed and a final vote is expected to occur this week.

“As governor of Ohio, we were leaders in providing coverage for our children. In fact, Time Magazine declared our plan ‘one of the most intelligent in the nation,’” Sen. Voinovich said. “During our current fiscal crisis, expanding this already massive program that the federal government cannot pay for in its current state is irresponsible. And to do so with an unreliable tobacco tax is not realistic.”

Sen. Voinovich added that the underlying bill would expand coverage to children living in families early up to $62,000 a year in Ohio and over $88,000 a year in states like New York. This would encourage families who already have their own private coverage to drop it and rely on the federal government for their health care.

“Many of our social service programs such as Medicaid – called automatic stabilizers – are designed to automatically draw additional federal funding when the economy slows down. These programs are built to provide additional government support to those in need without legislative action. As these programs grow to provide much-needed services for those living at or near the poverty line, I am very concerned about expanding eligibility for the S-CHIP program.

“We are already having trouble paying for coverage for children living in families up to 200 percent of the poverty level. In fact, outside of the S-CHIP program, Congress is debating the need to increase federal spending in Medicaid,” Sen. Voinovich said. “Federal spending under Medicaid has increased 49 percent over the last five years and, frankly, states can’t keep up with the services currently in place.

“We cannot continue to piecemeal heath care reform. We need to design a system where all Americans have health insurance as well as true ownership of a portable policy that they can take from job to job. People shouldn’t have to worry about how they’re going to care for their families when facing the loss of a job or in making the decision to pursue another job.”

Sen. Voinovich explained that, as a nation, we are already spending roughly $2 trillion a year on health care – more than any country in the world and 16 percent of our GDP. Our results, however, are average at best, with 47 million Americans still uninsured. Consequently, he continues to push for passage of his bi-partisan, bi-cameral Health Partnership Act (HPA).

HPA would authorize grants to individual states, groups of states, Indian tribes and organizations to carry out a broad range of strategies to increase health care coverage, ensure patients receive high-quality appropriate care, improve the efficiency of health spending and use Information Technology (IT) to improve infrastructure and reduce costs.

The Republican alternative included:

The failed alternative included a nearly five-year reauthorization of the S-CHIP program that would: protect coverage for all children currently enrolled in the S-CHIP program; provide funding for states to improve outreach and enroll the children already eligible for S-CHIP but not enrolled in the program understanding that more funding may be needed in the future; and eliminate coverage for adults that have been added to the program in some states.

Sen. Voinovich has for years called for an overhaul of our entitlement programs so we can work harder and smarter and do more with less. The senator’s Securing America’s Future Economy (SAFE) Commission Act would establish a national commission to examine our nation’s tax code and entitlement systems and present long-term solutions to place the United States on a fiscally sustainable course and ensure the solvency of entitlement programs for future generations. He also hopes President Obama will support such a commission.

The national debt now stands at $9.8 trillion. CBO estimates that the federal government finished the 2008 Fiscal Year with a budget deficit of $455 billion – the largest deficit in our nation’s history, with the next three largest deficits occurring in 2003, 2004 and 2005. This figure, however, does not include borrowing from the Social Security Trust Fund and other trust funds to the tune of $186 billion. This makes the real operating deficit $641 billion – almost three times the $219 billion deficit projected at the start of 2008. And once the economic stimulus bill Congress is working on is finished, which currently is over $800 billion, the deficit will explode even further.

Boehner on SCHIP

“Madam Speaker, thank you and let me thank my colleague from California for yielding. I rise in opposition to this bill because of my strong support for the SCHIP program. In 1997, Republicans here in Congress worked with our Democrat colleagues to create the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. I was there and many of you were here as well, and throughout that process it was bipartisan, it was fair and open discussion and open debate. Unfortunately, today the voices of millions of Americans who want to provide input into this proposal have been silenced in the process.

“Earlier this week, I wrote to Speaker Pelosi and President-elect Obama expressing our willingness to work together on this critical issue. We outlined our principles for this program’s reauthorization. The principles are nothing new; in fact, they’re the same principles that led to the creation of SCHIP in 1997. And they’re this:

This program ought to cover poor children first. Unfortunately in many states, more than 2/3 of those enrolled in the SCHIP program are adults and there is nothing in this bill that ensures poor children will be brought into the program first.

Secondly, taxpayer funds for this program should not be used to fund benefits for illegal immigrants. And there has been this big debate about whether it does or it doesn’t, but the fact is while the bill says we will not cover illegal immigrants in this bill, the whole verification process that should be in here to ensure that only American citizens and legal residents are entitled to these benefits, no verification system to speak of is contained in this bill.

We also believe that SCHIP should not force children with private insurance into a state health insurance program. Last year, this proposal, there was language that made it clear that children with private health insurance programs should stay in that private health insurance program and should not be pushed into the state-run program.

“Unfortunately, the bill before us does not reflect these principles – the same ones that have guided this program since its creation. I believe the bill before us would undermine the original intent of the SCHIP program by expanding the program to adults, illegal immigrants, and upper-income families who already have access to private health insurance.

“I think taxpayers deserve better, and more importantly, our nation’s children deserve better. That’s why today Republicans are offering a better way. I said on the opening day when I gave the gavel to Ms. Pelosi that Republicans would not just be the Party of no, that we would come to the floor with better solutions. And a better solution that we will offer here soon is a program that would reauthorize SCHIP for seven years, not the four and half years we see in the majority’s bill. It will reflect our principles and make it clear that poor children should be covered first. And it will fully fund the SCHIP program without raising taxes on American families across our country.

“Madam Speaker, federal funds targeted for low-income children should benefit low-income children. Period. Only one measure on the floor today will serve those children’s interests, and that’s what the Republican motion to recommit will contain. So I would urge my colleagues to vote yes on the motion to commit and no on the underlying bill and I yield back.”

The Republican alternative:

Republicans created the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in 1997 to provide health insurance for low-income children. From the outset, the program was focused on needy children, and it has enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress for more than a decade. On the House floor today, however, the Democratic Majority is forcing through legislation – written without Republican input, without legislative hearings, and without the opportunity for amendments – that would undermine the original intent of SCHIP. At the conclusion of today’s debate, House Republicans will offer an alternative, as a motion to recommit, to renew SCHIP for seven years, fully fund SCHIP without raising taxes, and keep the program focused on its initial mission: serving low-income children.

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) recently wrote to President-elect Barack Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), expressing Republicans’ desire to work together with the Democratic Majority on an SCHIP reauthorization reflecting core principles essential to the program since its creation in the late 1990s:

“Democrats and Republicans, in the spirit of cooperation and working together, created the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) a decade ago to give millions of low-income, American children access to high-quality health care. It is in that continuing spirit of bipartisan cooperation that, as the U.S. House of Representatives prepares to consider SCHIP legislation as soon as next week, we hope to work together to renew and reauthorize this important program…”

“Republicans are committed to reauthorizing SCHIP in a manner that puts poor children first, which is the original intent of the program. We hope that in that same vein of bipartisan cooperation, you will take Republican principles into consideration as a helpful guide as the Democratic Majority brings legislation to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.”

In spite of the leaders’ request, Democratic leaders continued their plans for an expansion of the program to cover adults, illegal immigrants, and families already covered by private health insurance. But Members on both sides of the aisle will have an opportunity to embrace the original mission of SCHIP by supporting the Republican motion to recommit. Specifically, the GOP alternative will:

Cover low-income children first. Republicans believe that SCHIP legislation should ensure that states are enrolling low-income children below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, especially those who are currently eligible for Medicaid and/or SCHIP, but are not yet enrolled.

Serve only U.S. citizens and certain legal residents. Republicans believe SCHIP legislation must include stronger protections to prevent fraud by including citizenship verification standards to ensure that only eligible U.S. citizens and certain legal residents are enrolled in the program.

Not replace private health insurance or force children with private health care to move into a government run program. Republicans want to work with Democrats to cover all eligible low-income children, rather than removing families from private insurance plans and placing them on the government rolls.

Provide SCHIP with stable funding, without using budget gimmicks that put the program in jeopardy. Republicans do not believe SCHIP legislation should be used as an opportunity to raise taxes, especially on the poorest Americans during an economic crisis, to pay for expanding the program.

The Republican alternative will maintain the program’s core function: ensuring low-income children – not adults, illegal immigrants, and families with private health coverage – have the best care possible. Will Democrats join Republicans in supporting the mission of SCHIP and, indeed, the children it is meant to serve?

Hawaii Realizes What Liberals Don't--Socialized Medicine Doesn't Work

Hawaii is not just home to Magnum PI or the guy who books people, Dan-O. They had the only true socialized healthcare program in the country....Until now:

Hawaii is dropping the only state universal child health care program in the country just seven months after it launched.
Gov. Linda Lingle's administration cited budget shortfalls and other available health care options for eliminating funding for the program. A state official said families were dropping private coverage so their children would be eligible for the subsidized plan.

"People who were already able to afford health care began to stop paying for it so they could get it for free," said Dr. Kenny Fink, the administrator for Med-QUEST at the Department of Human Services. "I don't believe that was the intent of the program."
State officials said Thursday they will stop giving health coverage to the 2,000 children enrolled by Nov. 1, but private partner Hawaii Medical Service Association will pay to extend their coverage through the end of the year without government support.

"We're very disappointed in the state's decision, and it came as a complete surprise to us," said Jennifer Diesman, a spokeswoman for HMSA, the state's largest health care provider. "We believe the program is working, and given Hawaii's economic uncertainty, we don't think now is the time to cut all funding for this kind of program."

Imagine what would have happened if those idiotic SChip provisions had fully gone through? Imagine the cost and the levels of craziness that will result if we get Obamacare. Don't buy the hype. He wants socialized medicine. He wants to take control. This is a bad idea, and it is against free market principles, against human nature, and against all of what America was founded on.

SCHIP Again? Really???

Apparently, the Democrats want to bring up Healthcare for Illegals and Adults again... This just in from Republican Leader, my Congressman and a Great American -- John Boehner:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) issued the following statement on the Majority’s plans to hold a politically-motivated vote tomorrow to override President Bush’s veto of a measure to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to cover adults, illegal immigrants, and families that already have private health insurance:

“Last year, the Majority routinely used our nation’s children as a political football. In spite of our overwhelming bipartisan vote last month to extend the SCHIP program into 2009 and cover the program’s funding shortfall, it is clear that the political games have not ended. Tomorrow’s politically-motivated veto override vote is especially disappointing in light of the renewed commitment to work together on an economic growth package, which is proof that Congress can work together to put the interests of the nation above petty partisan concerns.

“Since the outset of the SCHIP debate, Republicans have made it clear that the program should be renewed in a way that keeps its focus on the low-income children a bipartisan Congress established the program to serve in the first place. That remains our focus again this year, particularly with so many families facing serious economic uncertainty. During these challenging days, it would be irresponsible to expand the SCHIP program to cover adults, illegal immigrants, and those who already have private health insurance at the expense of the low-income children who need it most. But in spite of our sluggish economy, which is making matters even more difficult for low-income families with children, that is exactly what the Majority’s flawed SCHIP bill would do. This is why the President’s veto will be sustained – and why the Majority finally needs to reach out to Republicans to renew SCHIP in a bipartisan way.”

The Do Nothing 110th Congress is back in session...

Rep. Chabot Newsletter: "Bringing Down the Cost of Health Care"

I believe one of the most important issues in America today is access to affordable health care. In Congress we have been working on several initiatives to expand access, reduce costs and make our health care system the most effective and innovative in the world. To accomplish this, we need to continue to make quality health insurance more affordable for children, working families and individuals through tax credits and deductions. We should also pursue regulatory and malpractice reforms that benefit consumers and strengthen Medicare for today's seniors and future generations.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding health care reform, or any other issue before Congress, please feel free to contact our office.

Sincerely,

Steve Chabot

Chabot Introduces Health Insurance Affordability Act

Congressman Steve Chabot recently re-introduced the Health Insurance Affordability Act (H.R. 3975) to help families purchase quality health insurance. The legislation would allow individuals to deduct from their taxes the full cost they pay for health insurance premiums. This will provide financial incentives to consumers to purchase the health insurance plan that best meets the needs of their families.

Under Congressman Chabot’s bill, employees who receive health insurance benefits from their employer would be able to deduct the amount they pay out of pocket for their health insurance. Taxpayers would not be required to itemize deductions on their tax returns in order to receive the tax benefit.

Chabot Supports Children’s Health Insurance Program

Congressman Chabot is also supporting efforts to strengthen the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. He has cosponsored legislation (H.R. 3888) to expand the program to allow more children to participate while also providing tax credits to families who earn up to $62,000 per year to purchase health insurance for their children.

In 1997, Congressman Chabot voted to create the State Children’s Health Insurance Program to assist children whose families earned too much to qualify for Medicaid (which generally covers lower income individuals and families), but had trouble affording basic health insurance. 150,000 Ohio children are currently enrolled in the program and more than 6 million children participate nationwide. Congressman Chabot would like to see the program reauthorized in a sustainable manner to cover these children and thousands more.

Chabot Votes Against Medicare Cuts

Congressman Chabot believes it is important to protect Medicare for seniors who depend on the program for their health care. That is why he voted against legislation that cut $193 billion from Medicare and could eliminate the Medicare Advantage program for millions of seniors across the country.

The legislation that Chabot opposed included $157 billion in cuts to the popular Medicare Advantage program, $15.3 billion in cuts to Medicare Part A for skilled nursing, rehabilitation and long term care facilities, $9.6 billion in cuts to Medicare Part B and $11.1 billion in additional cuts for home health care and other programs for seniors.

While the legislation passed the House, Congressman Chabot voted against the bill. He believes Congress should be working to strengthen Medicare and ensure it is delivering quality health care to our senior citizens.

Rep. Schmidt Newsletter: "SCHIP: Let’s Cover the Neediest First"

Over the past couple of weeks, you have probably heard a lot about efforts to renew a federal program called the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, or S-CHIP. This is a very successful and popular program that everyone believes should continue. The debate in Congress is over how best to extend the program.

S-CHIP began as a bipartisan measure passed by a Republican Congress and signed by President Clinton in 1997. At the time, both parties recognized a need for federal program to provide health insurance for children from families who earned too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to be able to afford private insurance. The result was a law where the Federal government would provide to states approximately $5 billion annually, roughly 70% of the cost of insuring children who do not qualify for state Medicaid but come from families earning less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), or approximately $40,000 for a family of four.

The program has been a blessing for millions of families. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), S-CHIP’s average monthly enrollment is around 4 million children.

When a federal program is successful, there is often a temptation to expand it, even before the original goals have been met. Under S-CHIP, this expansion has already begun through waivers approved by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). According to HHS, 13 states plan to spend more than 44% of their 2008 S-CHIP funds on people who were not originally to receive program benefits. Michigan and New Mexico will spend 71.6% and 52.3%, respectively, of their S-CHIP funds on childless adults. New Jersey is covering children at 350% of poverty (around $70,000 for a family of four) and New York requested a waiver to cover children at 400% of poverty (approximately $82,000 for a family of four).

Even as states have been expanding S-CHIP to cover unintended populations, it is estimated that between 500,000 and 2.5 million children who are eligible for S-CHIP have not yet signed up for the program. Additionally, between 5 and 6 million children who are eligible for S-CHIP or Medicaid have, for some reason, not signed up for either health insurance coverage. The State of Ohio covers approximately 76% of the children eligible for S-CHIP and, according to the Census Bureau, 131,000 children who qualify for either Medicaid or S-CHIP are not insured because they simply haven’t signed up.

S-CHIP is an excellent program. We need to reauthorize it and make certain that no child currently covered by S-CHIP loses that coverage. It is also an ideal time to redouble our efforts to make sure that all children who are eligible for both Medicaid and S-CHIP have health insurance.

Unfortunately, the bill Congress considered, twice, and the President vetoed, did not focus on the neediest children. It sought to increase S-CHIP spending by more than $35 billion over five years and expand coverage to children in families making up to 300% of the poverty level (more than $62,000 for a family of four). According to CBO, the current proposal to expand S-CHIP will result in as little as 33% of the neediest children receiving the coverage they need. The rest will likely be forgotten. Further, CBO estimates, that 1.1 million of the newly S-CHIP-eligible children, those in families making between $41,000 and $62,000, will obtain insurance through the federal government. Of those 1.1 million, almost half will leave private insurance plans for government-funded health plans.

This plan makes no sense and does very little for those truly in need in Ohio and around the country. S-CHIP is an excellent program that was meant to fill an important health insurance gap. It has helped millions of children, but it has not yet fulfilled its original mission.

Finding a bipartisan compromise to extend and even expand S-CHIP could be simple. Unfortunately, Democratic leaders would rather play politics than come together with a real solution that truly helps the neediest among us.

Conference Call with Congressman Boehner

Mark and I just got off the phone with Congressman Boehner, Gribbit, Justin, and Bizzy.

The Congressman opened up the call with some comments on the Mother of All Tax Hikes, the Democrat's inaction on veteran and troop funding, Murtha Inc. and earmark reform.

Justin has a pretty good rundown on the opening comments and the first question, which was his, on the few Republicans on the pork list. Check out his post for details.

Gribbit did us the favor of asking about the status of the Internet Radio Equality Act, which the congressman said that he is going to have to research. That is not a good sign as I thought he was "up" on this issue already. I accept blame for that one, as I haven't been as diligent as I should in my advocacy for the bill.

Bizzy asked about the lack of a statement on the 55 consecutive months of economic expansion, a topic which he has written about here.

Justin then asked about Pakistan and the actions of one President Musharaff.

I am shocked by the actions he's taken. I am hopeful he will restore the Constitution and put Pakistan back into Democratic rule as soon as possible."

I then shifted the conversation to SCHIP... Justin's post is here.

The most important thing I can relate from the discussion is that if the Democrats continue to fail to enact real reform to their proposal, there is going to have to be an extension of the funding at current levels for the program. The congressman was very confident that this would happen should the issue not be resolved before the November 16th deadline.

Congressman Boehner was quite confident that if the Democrats bring an override vote, that the Republicans would still remain firm on the issue. There has been talk that Harry Reid has asked Nancy Pelosi to NOT bring it up again.

Boehner handled the Sen. Grassley solo act question with appropriate humor and candor. Republicans and Democrats continue to negotiate on the issue. Contrary to what you may have heard from the liberal blogosphere and from the 527 media, Republicans love children and are fighting hard on their behalf. It is shameful that liberals and Democrats continue to use the issue in such a shameful manner. Perhaps this might explain the Democratic Congress' dismal approval numbers.

We are likely to cover this call, with some audio, on the TIB All-Stars show on Saturday night at 7PM...be sure to tune in for more!

SCHIP: Round Two Goes to POTUS

Here is an AP News Alert proving that the Democratic Congress hasn't learned its lesson yet:

WASHINGTON (AP) Congress has passed a children's health bill in spite of President Bush's threat of a second straight veto.

Bring on the veto pen, Mr. President.

UPDATE 1: A RINO learns that the House doesn't work like the Senate... (The Hill)

What works in the Senate doesn’t necessarily work in the House, a truism that Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has been reminded of during the debate over children’s health insurance.

Grassley has taken a notably activist stance in moving a $35 billion bill through the House that would reauthorize and expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), working side by side with the House Democratic leadership and trying to convert rank-and-file House Republicans over to his position against the wishes of their leaders and President Bush.

This guy managed to tick off Republican leaders in BOTH chambers with this stunt...

A lawmaker making a sales pitch for a bill he co-authored doesn’t qualify as unusual, but Grassley did not share these documents with the House Republican leadership before delivering them to rank-and-file GOP members.

Instead, he showed them to House Democratic leadership staff for review before sending them out, House Democratic and Republican aides said.

Somebody ought to remind Grassley that he is a Republican...and I can't think of a better reason to remind folks to not give a single dime to the RNSC until they state that they are not going to support Donkeys wearing Elephant suits...

House Republican leaders have loudly complained that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has frozen them out of the SCHIP negotiating process. House GOP leadership aides indicated that they also were less than pleased with what they perceived to be Grassley’s aiding and abetting the opposition.

A spokesman for House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said that Grassley didn’t engage the House Republican leadership on SCHIP until after the House passed its second SCHIP bill in September.

“He wasn’t involved [with the GOP leadership] in the House side prior to House passage,” the spokesman said.

“In the House, we stick together,” said a spokeswoman for Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). Grassley’s efforts to change the votes of individual House Republicans were bound to fail because the culture of the House, unlike the Senate, is more cohesive within the parties, she added.

“With a Senate Republican coming over to the House and trying to sway House Republican members, it’s just not going to be effective,” she said. Member-to-member deal-making on major bills is “not really how the House works.”

Not one Republican changed his vote last time...and I'm not seeing any reason to believe that a veto would be overturned this time either.

Apparently, Democrats want this program to go away...

Back to Grassley, who managed to tick off Senate Republican leadership as well:

The Senate Republican leadership has lodged its own complaints about Grassley. On Tuesday, Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-Miss.) protested that he and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) were not invited to the meeting between the Finance Committee members and the House GOP leaders.

...and Grassley, apparently, has been co-opted to help the Democrats blow it on SCHIP.

Why Do Democrats Still Hate The Children?

I'm still seeing leftist bloggers trying to pin the SCHIP debacle on Republicans but the truth is quite simple: It is Democrats who are threatening this program, not Republicans.

Let's review what Republicans have offered:

1) A full reauthorization of SCHIP. The program would continue to cover children in families with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level;

2) A child health care tax credit. Rather than putting more people on a government-run program, the legislation advances tax credits to families with incomes between 200% and 300% of the poverty level; and

3) A health care "federalism" initiative. This piece would complement both the reauthorization and the tax changes in expanding health care coverage, and would encourage even more dramatic health care experimentation at the state level with different approaches to coverage expansion.

This proposal was declared "dead on arrival" so once again, we see Democrats showing their true colors...

The program that the Democrats are threatening to end funding for was introduced by Ohio Republican John Kasich. Democrats wasted valuable time needed for negotiating a compromise in good faith by using the issue to score political points and failing miserably.

So who really hates The Children? Why, the Democrats...as usual...

Those SCHIP Problems Were "Fixed"? Not According to CBO

This just in...

On GOP Concerns that Middle-Income Families Will Be Enrolled in SCHIP, Speaker Pelosi said…

“No one making over 300 percent of poverty, no state, can receive – can allow people to receive the benefits of SCHIP. There is a cap of 300 percent of poverty as to who may receive the benefit.”

…But CBO says

Despite the Majority’s claims of a “fix” for the problem of enrolling more higher-income children in SCHIP, CBO still projects that only 800,000 currently SCHIP-eligible but unenrolled children will sign up for SCHIP by FY 2012 under this bill. In contrast, CBO says that 1.1 million people with incomes too high to be eligible for SCHIP today will be enrolled by FY 2012 due to the “expansion of SCHIP and Medicaid eligibility to new populations” caused by the “new” bill. Moreover, the bill also contains an “income disregard loophole,” which allows states to define “family income” as they see fit and intentionally ignore tens of thousands of dollars worth of income for purposes of SCHIP eligibility. This loophole could permit a family earning more than 300 percent of the poverty level to receive benefits. In fact, under the bill, a family of five in New Jersey making $84,455 per year would still be eligible for SCHIP.

On GOP Concerns that Illegal Immigrants Will Be Enrolled in SCHIP, Speaker Pelosi said…

“Secondly, the question of undocumenteds. Those people who are in our country but are not – have not been – here a length of time that would qualify. So the undocumenteds are one category. The undocumented are not allowed to receive – undocumented are not allowed to receive benefits from this.”

…But CBO says

Despite the Majority’s claims of a “fix” for the illegal immigration issue in their “new” bill, CBO projects that Section 211 of the bill will still result in $3.7 billion in increased federal spending over the next 10 years. Section 211 eliminates the requirement that individuals must provide specified documents to establish that they are citizens and therefore eligible to participate in SCHIP. In its place, it requires states to check names and Social Security numbers of applicants against a Social Security Administration database. This would neither assure that the person submitting the name and Social Security number is who they say they are, nor would it bar an individual from fraudulently using another person’s valid name and matching SSN to obtain Medicaid or SCHIP benefits.

On GOP Concerns that Adults Will Be Enrolled in SCHIP, Speaker Pelosi said…

“And third, the issue of adults. Adults were in the program because people thought as a lure to families they could get children in the program. Republicans objected to that. There was an exaggeration of the number of adults who are in the program. Nonetheless, in the interest of the children the new legislation contains a provision that adults under one circumstance will be phased out in two years, and another circumstance in one year.”

…But CBO says

Despite the Majority’s claims of a “fix” that for the issue of adults on SCHIP, CBO still projects that up to 10 percent of the enrollees in SCHIP will be adults in FY 2012. Though the legislation phases childless adults out of the program within one year, parents are still eligible permanently. With 700,000 adults currently enrolled in SCHIP – even though a half million eligible children are not currently enrolled in the program – the fact that the Majority’s “new” bill explicitly allows SCHIP to continue ensuring adults is irresponsible.

I'm not convinced...

10/26 UPDATE: Ask and you shall receive... The link to the CBO letter quoted above is here. Further information is available in this letter. And the original source material can be found here.

SCHIP: Round Two

Members of the California delegation had asked that the debate on SCHIP: Round Two be delayed until Tuesday so that they could be with constituents while the state burns. Steny Hoyer is having none of that as he says that there is no time left. Really? Democrats put off the override vote for two whole weeks so that they and their allies in the 527 media could demagogue on the issue but now there isn't enough time...

From debate on the House floor this morning:

HOYER: "...the time left to us is very short and to not proceed today and to push this off to next week then pushes off to the week following when the Senate can consider this legislation which then pushes off to the last week we'll be here for Presidential action. All of that is a constraint on the flexibility of scheduling."

HOYER: "I don't know that there is something happening today that won't be true tomorrow. I do know that there is concern about proceeding on the SCHIP bill. I have made it clear, in August I made it clear that we have an agenda to accomplish. If we were meeting Friday, that might be a different story, but we're not meeting Friday. So tomorrow was available, Saturday is available, Sunday, Monday are available. I believe that Members ought to be with their constituents. I don't believe they're going out there to fight the fire. They're going out there to be with their constituents..."

SESSIONS: "Will the gentleman yield?"

HOYER: "No, --- you can 'ohhh and ahhh' - my point I think is clear. My point is clear that the objectives of the members that are not here are understandable and appropriate, but what is not appropriate is for me to be put in the position or anybody who schedules on either side of the aisle, to be put in the position to have our legislative process stopped when we essentially only have a few hours left to go and important legislation to consider."

Perhaps there would have been more time to get this right if Democrats weren't busy playing politics with the healthcare of 6.7 million children.

Democrats aren't interested in a serious debate of the issue nor are they concerned with working towards a solution that is acceptable and fiscally responsible.

By the way, the President has already signalled that this latest "compromise" is going to face another veto. But Democrats don't care about getting this right...they just want to steamroll on ahead with risking the SCHIP program altogether. If Democrats can't figure out that they need to seriously compromise on this issue and get back to the basics of the intention of this program (to provide health insurance options for poor children who need it) when John Kasich (he's a Republican!) introduced it, then Democrats will be held responsible for shutting this program down. Imagine those ads for a minute...

UPDATE: I asked one of my House sources about the veto and this is the response:

We are confident that, until a truly bipartisan bill is introduced, House GOP will maintain enough votes to uphold the President's veto.

Here is what I said over at Wide Open on the so-called "compromise" bill:

It doesn't matter if the "cost" was reduced by $15 billion...the Democrats are not putting forward a way to pay for it.

Republicans proposed fully funding the current program and then offering tax credits to those in this expansion... The Republican proposal also involved a "federalism initiative" that would have encouraged states to get serious about enacting reform to save more money so more poor kids could be covered.

How was this proposal greeted by Demcorats who are in it for The Children?

It was "dead on arrival"...

I would be disappointed if the White House and/or House Republicans went along with this, but would not be surprised.

Who will suffer? It sure won't be the boomer yuppies and the politicans who love them that are pushing this bill... It will be the very kids who this legislation was supposedly designed to protect that will be footing the bill. Democrats (and their few RINO allies) are, once again, pandering for votes and not caring at all about the long-term ramifications of doing so...

And I like what Dave Stacy had to say in response:

People making $40k-$60k don't want a government handout, they want a reasonable crack at private health insurance without worrying about preexisting conditions, and endlessly rising premiums.

Expansion of medical savings accounts, loosen up regs of associations for pooling large groups of people, loosening up regulations overall of what must be covered, and a trend toward high deductible catastrophic insurance would all help more than handouts that are "financed" by taxing smokers.

Let's solve the problem, and not just throw money at it.

Emphasis added, because let's face it: That is the whole point...

UPDATE 2: AP News Alert:

WASHINGTON (AP) The House has passed a revised children's health bill, but not by a margin that would override a veto by President Bush.

I think my House source summed it up best:

[L]ike i said...

Today's SCHIP vote breakdown in the House:
Vote total: 265-142
Democrat breakdown: 222-1
Republican breakdown: 43-141

Not one single Republican switched their vote today to vote for this latest iteration of the SCHIP bill. The only change on the Republican side was that of Vern Ehlers (R-Michigan) who had previously supported this bill, but today voted against it.

The Democrats did not secure the required two-thirds to override a presidential veto.

14 of our members were not here - they would have voted against this bill if they were.

The only Democrat voting no was Jim Marshall (D-Georgia).

This version of SCHIP will not get a veto override either. The Democrats are playing games with the healthcare of 6.7 million children.

VIDEO - SCHIP: An Idea So Dumb Only Congress Could Think Of It

This is EXACTLY the video I would have put together if I had had time and the resources to do so... Republicans should be making this very same argument as well... The SCHIP expansion ought to be treated like just another of Hillary's millions of ideas that America can't afford...

Who is Playing Politics with Children's Healthcare? That Would Be the Democrats

This press release from the Ohio Democrats is an outrage:

Columbus, OH Today, Congressman Steve Chabot and other Republicans from the Ohio Congressional delegation voted to deny 10 million children access to the State Childrens Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The popular program would help fund Governor Stricklands and the Ohio legislatures desire to cover the health care of more Ohio children.

That is a blatant distortion of the facts. The number of 10 million is what the expansion of SCHIP would have covered. If Democrats were willing to renew the program instead of risking the health insurance of the 6.7 million children already on SCHIP, we wouldn't be having this debate. I'm not a math guy, but it seem to me as if Republicans are "denying" 3.3 million kids, while the Democrats are playing games with 6.7 million kids. Now that may be a cold way of looking at it for the 3.3, but think of what the 6.7 will do if the Democrats shut this program down.

Ohioans should be outraged by the heartless actions of Steve Chabot and other Ohio Republicans. It is apparent that Ohio Republicans would rather rubber stamp President Bushs ludicrous veto than improve the lives of millions of children, said Chris Redfern, Chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party.

I think we know what Ohioans ought to be outraged by, Chris, and it isn't the fiscal responsibility of Republicans who voted to support the veto.

Obviously, Ohios Congressional Republicans are hopelessly out of touch. They had a chance to listen to Governor Strickland and an almost unanimous state legislature when we voted to fund health care for children, but instead they chose to play politics with children rather than supply needed care.

Listening to Governor Strickland has moved us from 49th to 46th in businesss climate...now some might consider that real progress, but I don't.

By the way, Ohio Republicans, this is the sort of "thanks" you get for signing on to the governor's "ideas"...

According to recent polls, 86 percent of the American people support reauthorizing SCHIP, with seven in ten saying they support the Democratic plan to expand SCHIP by $35 billion over five years. [Robert Wood Johnson Foundation release, 8/23/07; Washington Post, 10/2/07]

Of course, that poll had flawed questions that lead the respondents in to agreeing with the pre-determined agenda. The poll that tells the real story can be found in the USA Today (Gallup poll):

“52 percent agree with Bush that most benefits should go to children in families earning less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level — about $41,000 for a family of four. Only 40 percent say benefits should go to families earning up to $62,000, as the bill written by Democrats and some Republicans would allow.”

“55 percent are very or somewhat concerned that the program would create an incentive for families to drop private insurance. Bush and Republican opponents have called that a step toward government-run health care.”

As usual, Democrats, don't let the facts get in the way of a good smear... Maybe you all can send a signed letter to somebody so we can raise some more money for charity of the smear...

Why do Democrats HATE 6.7 Million of The Children?

UPDATE: Somebody ought to ask his RINOness the "Re-asserter" what his response is to this smear... Just putting it out there to all those political reporters in the state who have nothing better to do...

Why Do Democrats HATE Our Troops?

Check out what Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) said today on the floor of the United States House of Representatives during the debate on SCHIP:

“You don’t have money to fund the war or children. But you’re going to spend it to blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the President's amusement.”

Emphasis added.

Republican Leader, my Congressman and a Great American -- John Boehner -- has called for Stark to apologize to the troops and their familes:

“Our troops in Iraq are fighting against al-Qaeda and other radical jihadists hellbent on killing the people we are sent here to represent. Congressman Stark’s statement dishonors not only the Commander-in-Chief, but the thousands of courageous men and women of America ’s armed forces who believe in their mission and are putting their lives on the line for our freedom and security. Congressman Stark should retract his statement and apologize to the House, our Commander-in-Chief, and the families of our soldiers and commanders fighting terror overseas. ”

Why do Democrats HATE our troops?

UPDATE: We have video...if you can stomach it...



UPDATE 2: No apology and the Kossacks support these comments. Why do Democrats HATE our troops?

Why Do Democrats HATE The Children So Much???

Jonathan Riskind, the Washington bureau chief from the Columbus Dispatch, files a report on the new proposal providing health insurance for poor children put forth by Republicans including "deficit hawk" George "The Crying Man" Voinovich. In the first sentence, Riskind characterizes the proposal as "dead on arrival."

Question: Why do Democrats HATE The Children so much???

I've asked the question and am waiting patiently for an answer...

UPDATE: Some details on the "dead on arrival" plan are here:

1) A full reauthorization of SCHIP. The program would continue to cover children in families with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level;

2) A child health care tax credit. Rather than putting more people on a government-run program, the legislation advances tax credits to families with incomes between 200% and 300% of the poverty level; and

3) A health care "federalism" initiative. This piece would complement both the reauthorization and the tax changes in expanding health care coverage, and would encourage even more dramatic health care experimentation at the state level with different approaches to coverage expansion.

UPDATE 2: Something tells me that Democrats will display more hatred for The Children by voting this one down too. Glenn Reynolds received an email from Coburn's office of the proposal:

This amendment, “The Children's Health Care First Act,” simply states that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used for any congressionally directed spending item, or earmark, until the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services certifies that all children under the age of 18 years of age in the United States are insured by a private or public health care insurance plan.

Democrats will prefer earmarks and prok over The Children and that is why they HATE The Children.

UPDATE 3: The vote to override the President's veto of SCHIP for adults and illegals has failed. Reaction from Rep. John Boehner:

“Two weeks ago when the President vetoed this bill because it didn’t put poor children first, we could have had this vote right then and there. We could have had the override vote, and then we could have sat down and begun to resolve our differences. By now we could have had them resolved, and we could be here on a new bill to make sure that the poor children who don’t have health insurance actually get it.

“And so what I’d say to all of my colleagues is that I would hope that the political games will come to an end. And on behalf of House Republicans, I again extend this invitation to all of you: let’s sit down and work together in a bipartisan manner to resolve our differences. And secondly, let’s make sure that we put poor children first.”

The Democrats will have to get over their HATE of The Children first...

UPDATE 4: These facts just hit the email box:

After delaying the SCHIP veto-override vote for more than two weeks and spending millions on disingenuous political attack ads to smear Republicans, Democrats secured…..ZERO additional Republican votes for their misguided bill.

If measured by these results, the political strategy employed by House Democratic leaders must be considered a complete and utter failure. With congressional approval ratings hovering at 11 percent (according to yesterday’s Reuters/Zogby poll), and as most Americans have seen very little – if any – progress from this Congress, Democrats may want to start making good on the “most open” pledges they made last year if they’re interesting in accomplishing anything this year.

The Votes:

September 25 SCHIP Vote: 273-156

· 45 Republicans votes yes

· 151 Republicans voted no

· 5 Republicans did not vote

After 3 weeks and millions of dollars in political attack ads…

October 18, 2007 SCHIP Vote: 273-156

· 44 Republicans voted yes

· 154 Republicans voted no

· 2 Republicans did not vote

Don't Think SCHIP is Step Toward HillaryCare and Socialism? Think Again.

Remember how Hillary and the Dems kept saying this was not about universal healthcare coverage, that it was not an attempt at Stealth Hillary Care? Well, according to a 1993 White House memo, it sure enough is just such an attempt to begin phasing in a disastrous socialist policy. From the ol' Politico.com:

Under this approach, health care reform is phased in by population, beginning with children," the memo says. "Kids First is really a precursor to the new system. It is intended to be freestanding and administratively simple, with states given broad flexibility in its design so that it can be easily folded into existing/future program structures."

Sounds a bit like the whole expansion of SCHIP, don't you think? Of course it is, and Dems know what they are trying to do, also:

Republicans familiar with the 1993 memo say it shows that Democrats, and Clinton in particular, have always viewed children's health care as the beginning of a march toward a federalized system.

"Everyone knows that Clinton has had government-run health care on her to-do list for at least a decade," said Ryan Loskarn, a spokesman for the Senate Republican Conference. "The memo helps make clear the reason Democrats have pushed SCHIP legislation that includes coverage for adults and upper-income families. This isn't about helping poor kids. For them, it's about making big government even bigger."

The One Where I Take "Premiere" Blogger Jeff Coryell to School on SCHIP...Again

Over at Cleveland Plain Dealer's WIDE OPEN, "premiere" blogger Jeff Coryell posts another gratuitous set of lies intended to confuse readership of Cleveland.com. Here is the post and I shall take it apart point by point...again.

This strategy mirrors comments left by conservative readers of this blog, portraying the SCHIP expansion as a step toward socialized medicine and a program intended to cover illegal aliens and adults.

I'm not just some "reader" of the blog, Jeff... I actually have some connections and have read up on this bill quite a bit.

Let me ask you a few questions, Jeff, and we'll let the readers decide whether or not this bill furthers your cause on the march towards socialized medicene or not.

1. What entity will run the program?

A. The consumer. You get to to make all of the decisions.

B. The doctors.

C. The government.

The correct answer for those scoring at home is C. This will be a government-run program. Kind of like the IRS only dealing with your kids health.

2. How are Democrats going to pay for it?

A. They aren't.

B. Raise taxes on cigarettes.

C. Raise taxes on everyone else.

D. All of the above.

The correct answer is D. Democrats aren't going to pay for this, taxpayers would. They propose a massive tax on tobacco to pay for this boondoggle, but forget to tell everybody that they would need 22.4 million NEW smokers by 2017. That's a LOT of Democrats taking up a filthy dirty habit. I think we can say that it isn't exactly a given that they are going to be able to pay for this thing by killing the smokers or the tobacco farmers. Which leads us to the question that Jeff FAILED to answer the first time I took him to school... Democrats are going to raise taxes on everyone to pay for this. It is the only way to fund it. And THAT is the truth.

3. Will the program insure kids who already have private insurance?

A. Heck no, that would be silly.

B. Yeah, but not that many...

C. Yes. A significant number of kids who currently have insurance will be covered by SCHIP.

The answer is C. 2 million kids, according to the Congressional Budget Office, will be covered under the new program.

Now, let's move on to the illegal aliens that will be covered under Jeff's utopian dream. Here is what the Republicans have to say on the matter:

Democrats say their bill would require states to submit the names and Social Security numbers of applicants to the Social Security Administration (SSA). But the SSA Commissioner made clear in a letter that the Democrats’ proposal will NOT prevent legal and illegal aliens from violating our laws and qualifying for Medicaid and SCHIP.

Read it Jeff...

If you are interested, it is Section 211 of the SCHIP legislation that makes all of this happen for those who came to our country illegally.

Now, let's shift to adults... Dictionary.com defins an adult as...

a person who has attained the age of maturity as specified by law.

By law, that age is what? 18, than you very much. This expansion of SCHIP will cover "kids" up to the age of what, Jeff? That's right...25. Now, I',m not the math guy, but I think when I was going to school 25 was a bigger number than 18...

The Democrats’ bill continues to use taxpayer dollars to fund SCHIP for adults through 2012, taking away limited resources from needy kids – the original intent of the program when it was created by Republicans in 1997.

Might I recommend that Jeff take a closer look at Section 112 of the SCHIP legislation.

While, we're at it, let's talk about the kids in families that probably don't need the government's "protection" in the first place...

The measure fails to focus on low-income children and instead grandfathers states like New York which provide SCHIP benefits to children with middle- and upper-income families who earn up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level (currently $83,000).

Section 114 is where you'll want to go for that, Jeff...

Okay, now let's go over his "arguments" against the Republican response:

First, SCHIP does nothing to advance socialized medicine. This is a block grant program, under which states opting to receive federal funds run their own programs in compliance with federal rules. There is no "single payer," and the program is not run by the federal government. The caregivers who actually provide the health care are generally private rather than government employees.

It doesn't have to be "single payer" to be considered socialized medicene, Jeff...all it need do to qualify is be government run instead of consumer oriented. I think we'll agree from the exercise above, that this is a government-run program and not market based.

Second, SCHIP does not cover illegal immigrants. (Thanks to Republican objections during the negotiation of the House-Senate compromise version of the SCHIP bill, it doesn't even cover legal immigrants.) The entire GOP attack on this basis is premised on a change in how the citizenship status of applicants is verified. States administering the program have determined that requiring documentation of citizenship in the form of birth certificates is impractical and harmful, since many applicants don't have them. (This is notably true in rural areas.) Therefore, the new law is based on verification of social security numbers, which contrary to myth are not provided to illegal immigrants. While that system may not be perfect, the claim that SCHIP covers illegal immigrants is false, and the notion that legions of illegal immigrants will subvert the system and obtain benefits is patently absurd.

And the Social Security Administration has already debunked this line of distortion. Read the PDF again if you didn't.

Third, the SCHIP program is aimed at children. Adults are generally not eligible. Some states have in the past obtained waivers from the federal government (yes, the Bush administration) to extend benefits to certain adults, usually adults who are disabled, pregnant, or parents of eligible children. New waivers to provide coverage of adults without children has been prohibited since passage of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2006. The Bush administration likes to portray this as a major dimension of the program by emphasizing that about 600,000 adults are receiving benefits under SCHIP, but that is only a tenth of the six million recipients overall. This is fundamentally a program for uninsured children.

19 to 25 year olds are NOT children, Jeff. Not in this country anyway...

Fourth, although it is not possible to extend SCHIP to all uninsured children without incidentally "crowding out" a some families who would otherwise buy private insurance, the effect is minor and is a small price to pay to achieve the goal of covering children. Extensive research shows that the rate of substitution of SCHIP for private insurance among lower-income working families is very low. Moreover, states have instituted measures to discourage such substitution, as by implementing waiting periods (during which the recipient must be uninsured) and charging premiums and cost sharing amounts similar to what recipients would face with private insurance.

That number is 2 million, Jeff...that sounds like a pretty big number to me, but again, I'm not really a math guy...

Finally, opponents of SHIP expansion insist that the program would extend to upper-middle class families. Yesterday, for example, President Bush said in Lancaster, Pennsylvania that the SCHIP bill "expands coverage, federal coverage, up to families earning $83,000 a year. That doesn't sound poor to me." However, that claim is patently misleading. The bill actually restricts SCHIP money to families earning no more than 300% of the federal poverty level, which means about $60,000 for a family of four. President Bush's assertion is based on a waiver request by the State of New York that was in fact rejected by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Actually, Jeff, you've made another math error here. The number is 400% and the number is actually $83,000 because of the state of New York. Do you honestly think the 49 other states in the union is going to let New York get all that money?

Nice try, Jeff... I'm still not buying it. And neither will the American people once they see what a scam this is...

Republican Principles for Bipartisan Reauthorization of SCHIP

From the inbox...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) today issued the following statement supporting President Bush’s veto of a partisan bill to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and joined other Republican leaders in unveiling principles for a bipartisan renewal of the program to expand access to quality health care for low-income children:

“Republicans are committed to reauthorizing SCHIP in a manner that puts poor children first, and we have outlined clear principles we hope can guide a bipartisan renewal of this critical program. The Republican Congress created SCHIP a decade ago to give millions of low-income, American children access to high-quality health care – not as a trial balloon for government-run health care or as a way to provide government benefits to adults and upper-income families who can afford private health insurance.

“Republicans will sustain this veto so we can begin working toward a bipartisan renewal of SCHIP that helps states provide health care to low-income children. We now face an important choice: either we all work together to renew this program or continue to play politics on the backs of our nation’s children. If Congress is truly serious about reauthorizing SCHIP, then a vote to override to President’s veto will come to the House floor immediately – not days or weeks from now – and we can begin working to craft a bipartisan, responsible bill that puts low-income children first. To drag out this process any longer would only serve to underscore the fact that some lawmakers are more concerned with partisan politics than they are with expanding health care access for low-income children.”

NOTE: Boehner, Republican Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO), Energy & Commerce Committee Ranking Member Joe Barton (R-TX), and Ways & Means Committee Ranking Member Jim McCrery (R-LA) today unveiled the following principles for a bipartisan reauthorization of SCHIP:

SCHIP Must Serve Eligible Low-Income Children First

Republicans believe we must focus on the original intent of the program: cover low-income children first.

SCHIP Should Not Force Children Out of Private Health Insurance

Republicans believe SCHIP should not replace or significantly impact those who already have private health insurance with a government run program.

SCHIP Should Cover Low-Income American Children

Republicans believe citizenship verification standards are critically important to ensuring that only U.S. citizens and certain legal immigrants are allowed access to taxpayer-funded benefits.

SCHIP Funding for Low-Income Children Should be Stable

Republicans believe SCHIP should cover low-income children without using budget gimmicks that put the program in jeopardy.

Families Ineligible for SCHIP Should Have More Health Care Choices

Republicans believe low-income and middle-class families need more health care options--like premium assistance programs--to purchase affordable, high quality health plans that best meet the needs of their families.

When Democrats get around to proposing a sensible position on this, Republicans WILL support it. Until then, let's stop pretending that it is Republicans who are taking resources away from American kids in need...

10 Simple Reasons to Oppose the Democrats' SCHIP Bill

House Republicans strongly support renewing State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to cover low-income children, but have warned a huge expansion of government-run health care would lead to ‘Hillary-care’ that puts government rather than doctors and patients first. On the House floor today, the Democrats’ SCHIP bill puts politics first – as well as a certain presidential veto – instead of working toward a commonsense solution to ensure that 6.6 million low-income children benefiting from SCHIP won’t be the victims of partisan politics.

Following are 10 of the Most Egregious SCHIP provisions House Democrats won’t tell you about:

Promotes Massive ‘Hillary-Care’ at Taxpayers’ Expense. The Democrats’ bill would help achieve their longtime goal of bureaucratic government-run health care. They even say so themselves. (H.R. 976)

Provides SCHIP Benefits to Adults. The Democrats’ bill continues to use taxpayer dollars to fund SCHIP for adults through 2012, taking away limited resources from needy kids – the original intent of the program when it was created by Republicans in 1997. (Section 112)

Allows Middle- & Upper-Income Kids With Private Sector Health Care to Receive SCHIP Benefits. The measure fails to focus on low-income children and instead grandfathers states like New York which provide SCHIP benefits to children with middle- and upper-income families who earn up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level (currently $83,000). (Section 114)

Shifts Two Million Kids with Private Health Care to Government-Run ‘Hillary-Care.’ According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the Democrats’ bill would shift some two million children who are currently in private health care plans to government-run health care – shifting more and more costs to American taxpayers.

Provides Benefits for Illegal Immigrants. The Democrats’ bill opens the door for SCHIP and Medicaid benefits for illegal immigrants by substantially weakening a requirement that persons applying for such services show proof of citizenship or nationality. (Section 211)

Invites Fraud, Waste & Abuse in Enrolling Targeted Populations Such as Illegal Immigrants. The Democrats’ bill includes a state option which allows “express enrollment” for Medicaid & SCIHP benefits without proving eligibility, such as documenting proof of citizenship for example. (Section 203)

Uses a Budget Gimmick to Mask the True Cost to Taxpayers. The Democrats’ bill purposely misleads American taxpayers by “fudging” the actual cost of their entitlement expansion plan by $40 billion and forces some five million children off SCHIP by drastically cutting the funding in 2013. (Section 101 & 108)

Dramatically Increases Taxes on Working Families. The Democrats’ bill hikes tobacco taxes by 61 cents per pack, once again proving that Democrats are harming low-income families they claim to want to help. In April, 15 Democrats acknowledged this fact when they sent a letter to Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt (D-SC) encouraging him not to raise the tobacco taxes in the budget resolution because they were not only regressive but a declining source of revenue. (Section 701)

Includes Hidden Earmarks. Despite Democratic claims that the bill is “earmark-free,” the Democrats’ bill includes an earmark that directs taxpayer money to a hospital in Tennessee , and may contain other earmarks as well. (Section 618 & others)

Increasing Spending by More than Double Current Levels. The Democrats’ bill increases spending on SCHIP by more than double current levels. The current program is budgeted at $25 billion over five years, while the Democrats’ bill calls for an increase of another $35 billion over five years. That commitment will likely increase over time and become yet another unsustainable government entitlement program. (Section 101 & 108)

In 1997, Republicans created SCHIP to help needy children in low-income families, not as a first step towards a massive expansion of government-run health care for all Americans. The Democrats’ bill falls short in many areas, and it deserves to be vetoed. The low-income children SCHIP serves, as well as American taxpayers, deserve better.

A safety net is all we need. What the Democrats are wanting to do with SCHIP promotes a lifestyle of reliance on government instead of self.

Why is The Accidental Congressman Campaigning Already?

There are tons of things left unsaid in this New York Times piece on Zack Space. Among them:

Space will not be able to run against Ney and Abramoff

The district is more conservative than he is.

The NRCC is determined to get the seat back:

“We will do what it takes to win back a seat that we believe is rightfully ours,” said Ken Spain, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

He's not running against Joy Padgett in a last minute effort.

Space has "voted for one of the largest tax increases in history."

Space has voted to "provide public health insurance for children" of illegal aliens. (Of course, the NYT left out the actual substance of that attack...)

Space is still running his last campaign and failed to meet his target for fundraising at that:

Mr. Space never bothered taking down his campaign Web site, he said. Within weeks of being sworn in, he was told by the Democratic campaign committee that he was expected to raise $600,000 by June 30, said Ryan Rudominer, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Mr. Space held his first fund-raiser as a congressman at a Washington hotel on Feb. 28. By the end of June, he had raised $542,363, according to filings with the Federal Elections Commission.

Space will not be facing an opponent with a criminal record this time.

“This district was safe for any Republican incumbent that wasn’t going to jail,” Dr. Cohen said.

Space is a rubber stamp for Speaker of State Nancy Pelosi while claiming to be an independent "Blue Dog" Democrat:

Mr. Space has shown an acute awareness of his vulnerability. He voted with Republicans 14 percent of the time, more than all but 10 other House Democrats, according to an analysis in June by Congressional Quarterly.

100% - 14% = 86% of the time, Zack Space can be counted on to vote for the liberal agenda that is out of step with the district. That's some "acute awareness" there...

This is just too funny:

At the Muskingum County Fair, Mr. Space gave an update on the farm bill. Most farmers in attendance described themselves as Republicans, and all of those interviewed said they supported Mr. Space.

BWA-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

8/29 Update

Another log to throw on the fire comes from the Northwest Territory Blogger:

[H]e won't be getting much money from the Netroots and Move-on types because he doesn't follow them like a lap poodle.

This is also true...