More on SCHIP

I hope you’re following the Supplemental Children’s Health Insurance Program bills heading through Congress to a threatened Bush veto. While this program is in danger of expiring while Congress tries to expand it, and the White House tries to keep a lid on it at the behest of the insurance companies, Bush appointee Dennis G. Smith, director of the federal Center for Medicaid and State Operations has issued new rules that will effectively cut children from the program while raising new obstacles to enrollment.

The new rules would prevent states from offering coverage to children of families earning 2-1/2 times the federal poverty level. ($52,000 doesn’t go very far in high-rent places like New York City) Another requires that enrollees prove that the children have been uninsured at least 1 year before applying. Good grief, the Republicans in Texas did this, cutting off health insurance to 200,000 children. Even those right-wing nuts heard the public outrage and went back in the last session and tried to restore the cuts.

Very well, I propose that we deny federally-subsidized healthcare to another 535 people. That’s right, I’m talking about members of Congress. Let’s put those folks at the mercy of “the market” they’re so enamored with. Are you ready to read the human interest stories about the ones who can’t buy coverage at any cost because they have pre-existing conditions? Stories of family members who suffer and die of treatable conditions because they can’t afford to pay? Of families going bankrupt and losing their homes because of medical expenses?

What say we write our Reps. and tell them we want them to follow the lead of Rep. Steve Kagen, D-Wis, and forego their federal health insurance benefits until they put the system right and end this gravy train for the insurance and pharmaceutical companies.