Putting America back to work
SCHIP: A helping hand for kids
In 1997 a popular program was enacted with bipartisan support that provided health care to more than 6 million low-income, uninsured children.
It was a godsend for children in families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford private health insurance.
Ten years later the State Children’s Health Insurance program, known as SCHIP, had received overwhelming congressional support and was backed by most of our nation’s governors. But efforts to expand it were thwarted.
Former President George W. Bush vetoed the measure twice, most recently in December, because he believed it would lead to government-run health care and eliminate private insurance in America.
What a difference an election makes.
The two-year odyssey to expand SCHIP ended Feb. 4, with the House, including 40 Republicans, giving final approval 290-135. President Obama signed the legislation into law that afternoon.
In a Jan. 29 vote the Senate approved the bill 66-32, with nine Republicans joining Democrats in support.
Obama said the action – which expands SCHIP to cover 4 million more uninsured children by 2013 – amounts to "a down payment on my commitment to ensure that every American has access to quality, affordable health care."
He added it was especially significant at a time when "the worsening economy causes families to lose their jobs and health insurance."
The federal poverty line for a family of four was $21,200 in 2008, while family insurance premiums averaged about $12,680, according to the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured in Washington.
The passage of the SCHIP reauthorization is part of a broader effort by the Obama administration and other advocates, including the UAW, to overhaul the nation's ailing health care system.
UAW President Ron Gettelfinger has advocated just that for a long time.
"Until we achieve the overall goal of universal health insurance in the U.S., we must look for ways to expand health care coverage wherever possible, such as this reauthorization and expansion of SCHIP," he said.