AP: House Fails To Protect 10 Million Children

From a crushed Associated Press:

House fails to reverse child health veto

By KEVIN FREKING, Associated Press Writer

House Democrats failed Thursday to override President Bush’s veto of their pre-election year effort to expand a popular government health insurance program to cover 10 million children.

The bill had bipartisan support but the 273-156 roll call was 13 votes short of the two-thirds majority supporters needed to enact the bill into law despite Bush’s objections. The bill had passed the Senate with a bigger than two-thirds majority.

The State Children’s Health Insurance Program now subsidizes health care insurance coverage for about 6 million children at a cost of about $5 billion a year. The vetoed bill would have added 4 million more children, most of them from low-income families, to the program at an added cost of $7 billion annually.

To pay for the increase, the bill would have raised the federal tax on cigarettes from 39 cents to $1.00 a pack.

“This is not about an issue. It’s about a value,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said just before the vote. “For the cost of less than 40 days in Iraq, we can provide SCHIP coverage for 10 million children for one year.” …

“Under current law, these boys and girls are entitled to their benefits,” said Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich. “Continuing to not provide them with coverage is a travesty.” …

No bias there. No way.

Of course the S-CHIP program will be continued. In fact, Mr. Bush even wants to expand it.

But you would never know that from this AP article.

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