Posted on 10/05/2007 10:11:19 AM PDT by Tennessee Nana
Bredesen rallies support for Oct. 18 vote
NASHVILLE -- Gov. Phil Bredesen and Democratic legislative leaders urged Tennessee's four Republican congressmen Thursday to help override President Bush's veto of the bill expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program.
But all four, who had voted against the bill, indicated they will support the veto.
The bill would make coverage available to more uninsured children of working parents, boost funding to Tennessee hospitals that serve a "disproportionate share" of charity patients by $150 million over five years, and let Mississippi and Arkansas pay the Regional Medical Center at Memphis for more of the care it provides to indigent patients from both states.
The House and Senate passed the SCHIP reauthorization bill with bipartisan support last week, including Republican U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker. Both senators praised its passage as step toward covering more of Tennessee's 127,000 uninsured children.
The five Tennessee Democrat House members voted for the bill.
Voting against the bill were Republican U.S. Reps. Marsha Blackburn, David Davis, John J. Duncan Jr. and Zach Wamp.
In Tennessee, SCHIP would expand the state's Cover Kids program beyond its current enrollment of 11,165 children. Under Cover Kids, there are no monthly premiums for families earning less than 21/2 times the federal poverty level, or $51,625 for a family of four.
The vetoed bill would raise the ceiling to 3 times the poverty level, or $61,950.
In its veto message Wednesday, the White House said the bill would turn a program for poor children into one that covers more middle-income families, move millions of children with private health insurance to the government program, raise taxes, and "is an incremental step toward the Democrats' goal of a government-run health care system."
Bush had proposed a 20 percent expansion -- $5 billion over five years -- and said he would work with Congress toward a compromise.
But Democratic and Republican Senate leaders, and Democratic House leaders, want a veto override vote Oct.18.
Reporters asked Bredesen on Thursday if he will urge the Tennessee congressmen who opposed the bill to help override the veto.
He said the bill deserved bipartisan support.
"I guess I would say to any member of our delegation to remember that this affects a lot of children in Tennessee and that there was $150 million for Tennessee hospitals in that bill," he said.
"Even if you're not interested in this particular version of children's health care, I think each one of them has hospitals in their districts that would benefit.
"I certainly understand the desire to stand with your president but presidents aren't always right and this is one where I would hope they would seriously consider what's in the interests of their districts."
State children's health insurance program
SCHIP is a federal-state program created 10 years ago to offer health coverage for uninsured children in working families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford private insurance.
In addition to re-authorizing the basic program, the bill would expand coverage from the current 6.6 million to about 10 million children nationally, increasing spending by $35 billion over five years.
A proposed 61-cent increase in the 39-cent federal cigarette tax would pay for it.
--Richard Locker: (615) 255-4923
Not a conservative bone in his body...
PING
The SCHIP fight is in Round Two...
I think somebody making $75,000 a year is able to buy health insurance for his kid.
“I think somebody making $75,000 a year is able to buy health insurance for his kid.”
Or is covered at work.
I thought it was $82,000.
If you can’t afford to pay for the kids, DON’T HAVE ‘EM
The veto cannot be overridden without the help of weak and pathetic RINOs.
They alone are bringing this party down to disaster mode.
“Even if you’re not interested in this particular version of children’s health care, I think each one of them has hospitals in their districts that would benefit. “
***
I’m curious as to how hospitals benefit. Under most of these government schemes, hospitals and medical providers of all kinds are usually buried in paperwork, and most of the time they are not reimbursed nearly as much as what the service is worth.
The anti-American Democrats raised the age limit, or this bill, for KIDS to 25. So it is no longer a bill to help children but a bill to buy votes for the Nazi Democrats.
In a state decimated by TennCare, I would think Tennesseans would know better.
Folks will be dropping the for-pay coverage on their kids in favor of the gubbermnt coverage.
Stealth socialized health care.
Exactly!! Btw, I like your tagline.
I thought the democrats considered anyone making that much RICH!!!!
Congress ping!
Is Boenher keeping our guys in line?
I doubt that -— most of these bills are championed by doctors and hospitals as well as pharmaceutical companies, because usually there is more than enough pork to go around. Look at the Medicare Prescription Plan. It was practically written by Pharmaceutical companies, and it would be hard to find legislation that did more to increase a private entity’s profit margins
Somebody is!
Did Bredeson use his sissy speaking voice or his sissy speaking voice?
LOL
Scuttle the SCHIP!
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