Posted on 08/02/2007 9:57:41 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - The Senate passed legislation Thursday to add 3 million lower-income children to a popular health insurance program in bipartisan defiance of President Bush's threatened veto.
The 68-31 vote, one day after the House passed a more ambitious and expensive version over bitter Republican opposition, handed Democrats a solid achievement to trumpet as they leave Washington for a summer break.
It also gave Democrats, who secured a veto-proof margin, a chance to draw a stark distinction between their priorities and Bush's on an issue that resonates with voters.
"For the life of me, I can't understand why the president would want to veto this legislation," said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., the Finance Committee chairman. "It's moderate, it's bipartisan, it helps low-income kids. ... It's just the right thing to do for the country."
Bush has proposed spending $5 billion to extend the State Children's Health Insurance Program. He says the Senate's $35 billion expansion would balloon the decade-old program beyond its original mission of covering working poor children and would move more people toward government-run health care.
The program expires Sept. 30.
The Senate measure now must be reconciled with the House-passed $50 billion expansion, which was paid for partly by cutting government payments to Medicare health maintenance organizations.
Both bills include hefty tax increases on tobacco products to pay for the spending increase.
Architects of the legislation "have seized the reauthorization of SCHIP as a license to raise taxes, increase spending and take a giant leap forward into the land of government-run health care," said Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the minority leader.
He was one of 31 Republicans to oppose the measure, while 18 Republicans joined 48 Democrats and two independents to support it.
The health program is designed to subsidize the cost of insurance for children whose families earn too much to participate in Medicaid, but not enough to afford private health insurance.
Through federal waivers, the program has expanded in many states to include middle-income children and adults. That has led Republicans to argue that it has become a backdoor way to extend government-provided health care to an increasing number of people.
National polls show overwhelming majorities of voters support expanding the children's health program and are more likely to support candidates who back it.
vote tote below.
The 68-31 vote Thursday by which the Senate added 3 million lower-income children to the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.
On this vote, a “yes” vote was a vote to pass the measure.
Voting “yes” were 48 Democrats and 18 Republicans and 2 independents.
Voting “no” were 31 Republicans.
Alabama
Sessions (R) No; Shelby (R) No.
Alaska
Murkowski (R) Yes; Stevens (R) Yes.
Arizona
Kyl (R) No; McCain (R) No.
Arkansas
Lincoln (D) Yes; Pryor (D) Yes.
California
Boxer (D) Yes; Feinstein (D) Yes.
Colorado
Allard (R) No; Salazar (D) Yes.
Connecticut
Dodd (D) Yes; Lieberman (I) Yes.
Delaware
Biden (D) Yes; Carper (D) Yes.
Florida
Martinez (R) No; Nelson (D) Yes.
Georgia
Chambliss (R) No; Isakson (R) No.
Hawaii
Akaka (D) Yes; Inouye (D) Yes.
Idaho
Craig (R) No; Crapo (R) No.
Illinois
Durbin (D) Yes; Obama (D) Yes.
Indiana
Bayh (D) Yes; Lugar (R) Yes.
Iowa
Grassley (R) Yes; Harkin (D) Yes.
Kansas
Brownback (R) No; Roberts (R) Yes.
Kentucky
Bunning (R) No; McConnell (R) No.
Louisiana
Landrieu (D) Yes; Vitter (R) No.
Maine
Collins (R) Yes; Snowe (R) Yes.
Maryland
Cardin (D) Yes; Mikulski (D) Yes.
Massachusetts
Kennedy (D) Yes; Kerry (D) Yes.
Michigan
Levin (D) Yes; Stabenow (D) Yes.
Minnesota
Coleman (R) Yes; Klobuchar (D) Yes.
Mississippi
Cochran (R) No; Lott (R) No.
Missouri
Bond (R) Yes; McCaskill (D) Yes.
Montana
Baucus (D) Yes; Tester (D) Yes.
Nebraska
Hagel (R) No; Nelson (D) Yes.
Nevada
Ensign (R) No; Reid (D) Yes.
New Hampshire
Gregg (R) No; Sununu (R) Yes.
New Jersey
Lautenberg (D) Yes; Menendez (D) Yes.
New Mexico
Bingaman (D) Yes; Domenici (R) Yes.
New York
Clinton (D) Yes; Schumer (D) Yes.
North Carolina
Burr (R) No; Dole (R) No.
North Dakota
Conrad (D) Yes; Dorgan (D) Yes.
Ohio
Brown (D) Yes; Voinovich (R) No.
Oklahoma
Coburn (R) No; Inhofe (R) No.
Oregon
Smith (R) Yes; Wyden (D) Yes.
Pennsylvania
Casey (D) Yes; Specter (R) Yes.
Rhode Island
Reed (D) Yes; Whitehouse (D) Yes.
South Carolina
DeMint (R) No; Graham (R) No.
South Dakota
Johnson (D) Not Voting; Thune (R) No.
Tennessee
Alexander (R) Yes; Corker (R) Yes.
Texas
Cornyn (R) No; Hutchison (R) Yes.
Utah
Bennett (R) No; Hatch (R) Yes.
Vermont
Leahy (D) Yes; Sanders (I) Yes.
Virginia
Warner (R) Yes; Webb (D) Yes.
Washington
Cantwell (D) Yes; Murray (D) Yes.
West Virginia
Byrd (D) Yes; Rockefeller (D) Yes.
Wisconsin
Feingold (D) Yes; Kohl (D) Yes.
Wyoming
Barrasso (R) No; Enzi (R) No.
Senate OKs wider kids’ health program
Wider is code for FAT!
Is this the bill that defines “kids” as people up to age 24?
MARXIST!
Through federal waivers, the program has expanded in many states to include middle-income children and adults. That has led Republicans to argue that it has become a backdoor way to extend government-provided health care to an increasing number of people.
Does the Democrat Snate version of the bill allow the children of illegal aliens to get free health care like the Democrat House version does?
Nam Vet
Can anyone tell me what the tax increase on cigarettes is going to be?
apparently QUITE A BIT!
not sure, I had heard as much as up to a buck, don’t quote me tho.
Hmmm. I would think “wider kids” would be less healthy. Why would the government want a “wider kids” health program?
Under the Senate plan, smokers would foot the bill for covering an additional 3 million children: The federal cigarette tax would jump from 39 cents a pack to $1, and the tax would reach $10 for luxury cigars with a wholesale price of $19 or more apiece.
Exactly.
And it used to be that the Republicans were only “go slow socialists”.
That's what this is "designed" for, but in reality what will happen is, millions of middle-income people who already have private health insurance will drop it for the subsidized (read: taxpayer-funded) handout. And the road to socialized healthcare rolls on......
And what would a Medicare medication enhancement program do?
This reasoning sounds as if it was some reporter's substitute explanation. I'm not convinced this administration is all that opposed to a government run healthcare program.
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