As promised, President Bush vetoed a children’s health insurance bill that passed in both the House and Senate and had unusual bi-partisan support. The bill would have expanded the number of children covered by State Children’s Health Insurance Program to 10 million, whereas now the same program covers 6.6 million.
The president argued the bill moved Schip away from its initial purpose of paying to cover poor children and instead start providing for children from middle-class families. Which would be a crime? Does he know how a large part of the middle class lives nowadays?
While a “middle-class” income might seem like a goldmine in some parts of the country, it is barely adequate in plenty of cities, where housing costs and income are completely out of whack (I’m looking at YOU, Los Angeles County!). Pile on the high cost of fuel and increasing costs of food -- the year-over-year increases in healthcare premiums can quickly become hard to reach. Most uninsured families have at least one person employed full time. That's just wrong that a full-time worker who can't afford health insurance also can't get help with it.
At our pediatrician’s recently, I overheard a woman who was holding a toddler ask how much the shots would cost. The assistant had to ask around and look things up and started listing off the shots, this one’s $80, that one is $210. Didn’t her child have health insurance? Did she earn too much for Schip but not enough to pay for a plan? Even the most basic plans cover child vaccinations, right?
What’s you’re solution for healthcare in the U.S.? Canadian-style? Great Britain-style? Leave it alone? Scrap it all and start over? Are you glad Bush vetoed this bill and prevented families and companies from taking advantage of a government healthcare program, as he argued?
