[NYTr] Decider-In-Chief Bush opposes health care bill for children

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

NY Times Service via San Fran Chronicle - Sep 17, 2007
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/17/MN5CS7H0R.DTL&feed=rss.news

Congress readies health bill for kids;
White House reacts negatively

by Robert Pear, New York Times

(09-17) 04:00 PDT Washington -- Senate and House negotiators said
Sunday that they had agreed on a framework for a compromise bill that
would provide health insurance to 4 million uninsured children while
relaxing some of the limits on eligibility imposed by the Bush
administration.

The compromise, which resembles a bill passed by the Senate with
bipartisan support, sets the stage for a battle with President Bush,
who has denounced similar legislation as a step "down the path to
government-run health care for every American."

Tony Fratto, a White House spokesman, said Sunday, "The House and the
Senate still appear to be far away from legislation that we would find
acceptable."

Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, a leading Democratic supporter
of the legislation, said Sunday: "I'm increasingly optimistic that
we're going to have a deal."

At issue is the future of the State Children's Health Insurance
Program. The compromise would allow states to cover nearly half of the
children who are uninsured. About 6.6 million youngsters are now
covered under the program. That total would grow to more than 10
million under the compromise.

Congressional action comes in response to urgent appeals from governors
of both parties. In a letter to Congress last week, Gov. Sonny Perdue
of Georgia, chairman of the Republican Governors Association, and Gov.
Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, chairwoman of the Democratic Governors
Association, said, "For health and moral reasons, Congress must pass
and the president must sign a reauthorization of the program by Sept.
30."

The framework devised by congressional negotiators would provide $60
billion for the Children's Health Insurance Program over the next five
years. That is about $35 billion more than the current level of
spending and $30 billion more than Bush wanted.

Congressional aides said the compromise bill would affirm the states'
ability to decide who qualifies for the Children's Health Insurance
Program.

On Aug. 17, the Bush administration issued a new policy that would make
it much more difficult for California, New York and other states to use
federal money to cover children from middle-income families -
specifically, those with annual incomes exceeding 21/2 times the
poverty level, or $51,625 for a family of four.

The compromise bill is likely to roll back some of the new
restrictions, but would probably not eliminate all of them,
congressional aides said.

The proposed bill would increase tobacco taxes to fund the expansion.
It is generally similar to the Senate bill, which called for an
increase of 61 cents per pack of cigarettes, generating $35 billion in
new revenue over five years. The tax is now 39 cents a pack.