Bush Vetoes State Health Insurance for Low-Income Kids
Bush vetoed a proposed $35 million increase to the State Children's Health Insurance Program, an increase that would've added 4 million kids and 700,000 adults to the 6.6 million already on the roles. The bipartisan bill passed the Senate with the needed 2/3 majority but fell short about two dozen votes in the House.
The extra $35 million would be used to subsidize health care for low-income families, not impoverished ones, who should already be covered by Medicaid.
Bush raised the concern before a group of rich business leaders in Lancaster, PA, that the new funds would allow families making $83,000 a year switch from private to public health insurance.
"That doesn't sound poor to me," Bush said.
No, it doesn't, George. But too bad families making $83,000 a year won't be able to take advantage of the program. The highest income cap of all the states is $72,275 a year in New Jersey, where the median annual income for a family of four is $94,441, according to the 2006 U.S. Census Bureau. And that's in a state where families are allowed to make 350% of the federal poverty level and still apply. Matching federal funds are actually reduced when states extend coverage above the 300% threshold. Here in Tennessee, the cap is $51,625 annually, or 250% of the federal poverty level.
The extra $35 mil would come from a hike in the federal tobacco tax, raising it by 61 cents. While arguably a regressive tax, anyone who knows Bush realizes that this isn't why he vetoed the bill.
He did it because he's a blind capitalist ideologue. As a blind capitalist ideologue, he either pretends that our for-profit system isn't ridden with greedy, ruthless insurance company scams and robberies, or he knows about them but keeps quiet because money has tied them all up together so nicely. Hands in pockets here and there, etc.
Hopefully Bush's empty reasons for opposing the bill won't find much of an audience, but you know how that goes. We're talking about the guy who convinced the entire country to go to war on complete lies. He let his buddies at Haliburton get into Iraq and reap the benefits. Now that we're challenging the ill-gotten gains of his other buddies in the private health care racket, he's having to make up more bullshit.
Source: http://www.factcheck.org/bushs_false_claims_about_childrens_health_insurance.html
Call your Congressman today to make sure he/she voted for health insurance for the rest of us.
The extra $35 million would be used to subsidize health care for low-income families, not impoverished ones, who should already be covered by Medicaid.
Bush raised the concern before a group of rich business leaders in Lancaster, PA, that the new funds would allow families making $83,000 a year switch from private to public health insurance.
"That doesn't sound poor to me," Bush said.
No, it doesn't, George. But too bad families making $83,000 a year won't be able to take advantage of the program. The highest income cap of all the states is $72,275 a year in New Jersey, where the median annual income for a family of four is $94,441, according to the 2006 U.S. Census Bureau. And that's in a state where families are allowed to make 350% of the federal poverty level and still apply. Matching federal funds are actually reduced when states extend coverage above the 300% threshold. Here in Tennessee, the cap is $51,625 annually, or 250% of the federal poverty level.
The extra $35 mil would come from a hike in the federal tobacco tax, raising it by 61 cents. While arguably a regressive tax, anyone who knows Bush realizes that this isn't why he vetoed the bill.
He did it because he's a blind capitalist ideologue. As a blind capitalist ideologue, he either pretends that our for-profit system isn't ridden with greedy, ruthless insurance company scams and robberies, or he knows about them but keeps quiet because money has tied them all up together so nicely. Hands in pockets here and there, etc.
Hopefully Bush's empty reasons for opposing the bill won't find much of an audience, but you know how that goes. We're talking about the guy who convinced the entire country to go to war on complete lies. He let his buddies at Haliburton get into Iraq and reap the benefits. Now that we're challenging the ill-gotten gains of his other buddies in the private health care racket, he's having to make up more bullshit.
Source: http://www.factcheck.org/bushs_false_claims_about_childrens_health_insurance.html
Call your Congressman today to make sure he/she voted for health insurance for the rest of us.
