Renewed SCHIP Bill Passes Both House and Senate

Renewed SCHIP Bill Passes Both House and Senate in Politics and Legislation

The U.S. Senate passed a renewed version of the bill yesterday to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), reported the New York Times. The bill was approved in a vote of 62 to 33, enough to override a presidential veto.

The Senate’s approval of the renewed bill follows that of the U.S. House of Representatives, who passed the legislation last week. But the House is still short of the votes needed to overturn President Bush’s promised veto.

In the first version of the SCHIP bill, which was vetoed and sustained, the president accused the Democrats of trying to move too many families to public plans. He argued those who would be eligible for SCHIP coverage should be able to afford private insurance. With the renewed SCHIP bill, President Bush still believes it’s nothing more than a step toward government-run health care.

“There’s an interesting debate raging here in Washington, and it’s an appropriate — Halloween is an appropriate day to talk about it, because there’s a bill moving through the Congress that’s disguised as a bill to help children, but I think it’s really a trick on the American people,” said Bush yesterday in a speech at the 2007 Grocery Manufacturers Association/Food Products Association Fall Conference.

“So instead of pushing to federalize health care all at once, they’re pushing for the same goal through a series of incremental steps. With each step, they want to bring America closer to a nationalized system where the government dictates the medical coverage for every citizen,” the president also said in the speech, reported the Washington Times.

The new version of the SCHIP bill was designed by the Democrats to gain as much Republican support as possible to overturn Bush’s veto. The new bill addresses many of the objections Republicans had on the previous bill — such as denying coverage for illegal immigrants.

So far, it looks like the mostly behind-the-scenes negotiations are making progress. There have been indications that the House Republicans may agree override Bush’s veto.

Bush’s main objection of the new bill is the 61 cent increase in federal tobacco taxes. But many Republicans disagree with President Bush in how SCHIP should be funded, reported the Associated Press/RedOrbit.

“[The president] has his position. The House Republicans have their position,” said House Minority Leader John Boehner.

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