Working families across the country could lose their medical coverage as soon as Sept. 30 if Pres. George Bush has his way, says U.S. Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez.
At a press conference last week at the Hoboken University Medial Center (HUMC) on Willow Avenue, Menendez tried to secure support for a bipartisan bill that would reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which provides federally-funded comprehensive health care to over four million children nationwide.
SCHIP is a program that is designed to cover those who are not living below the poverty level, yet cannot afford the exorbitant cost of private insurance.
In New Jersey, SCHIP is called “Family Care.”
According to Democrats, a proposal from the president would increase the program’s funding by only $5 billion over the next five years, leaving financial shortfalls in 36 states, forcing the state to either find additional funding from another source or drop individuals from the program.
On the other hand, the proposal supported by Menendez would increase the current funding for SCHIP from $25 billion to $60 billion over the next five years, after which time it would go before the Senate for reauthorization again.
According to Menendez’s Press Secretary Desiree Ramos, in addition to the four million children covered by SCHIP, two million children who are eligible are not enrolled because of a lack of funding, which is the aim of a $35 billion increase over the next five years.
“No child in the greatest nation on the face of the earth [should go] to sleep at night worried that they have no health care,” said Menendez on Monday. “It’s time for the president to stop morally objectionable threats and political gains and come to the table for a greater purpose – the health and safety of our children and our families.”
Ninety percent of HUMC children have it
SCHIP currently provides coverage to 126,000 New Jersey children, who are youths ages 17 and under. In addition, 80,070 working adults in the state are enrolled in SCHIP. Those who are covered by SCHIP lack medical insurance by their employer and cannot afford private medical insurance, yet they earn too much to be considered for Medicaid. If the funding is not granted, over 30,000 children now enrolled will be cut from the program. “These are not people looking for a handout,” Menendez said. “These are working families who get up every day and do some of the toughest jobs that exist in our state. I find it embarrassing that some in Washington who have the best health care coverage in the nation would propose to cut coverage to America’s neediest families.” Menendez was joined at HUMC by Mayor David Roberts and 32nd District Assemblywoman Joan Quigley, who added that SCHIP covers 90 percent of the admissions to HUMC’s child crises unit, 80 percent of patients treated in family health center, and more than 50 percent of the patients coming through the hospital’s emergency room. “Hospitals like us throughout the state and the country will suffer just as much as the patients will suffer if the [State] Children’s Health Insurance Program is not continued,” added Quigley. The administration’s argument
At the June 27 press conference at the White House, President Bush restructured the debate, shifting it from removing working families to giving citizens a better chance to afford private health insurance through tax deductions. “America’s health care is too costly, it’s too confusing; it leaves too many people uninsured,” said Bush. “One option is to put more power in the hands of the government by expanding federal health care programs and empowering bureaucrats to make medical decisions. The other option is to put more power in the hands of individuals, by making private health insurance more affordable and accessible and empowering people and their doctors to make the decisions that are right for them.” According to the president, if the Democrat’s current proposal becomes law, families that earn as much as $80,000 a year would be eligible for the coverage. The administration insists that SCHIP be available to children only whose parents are at no more than 200 percent over the federal poverty level, whereas Menendez is arguing for an extension of the current waiver New Jersey enjoys, which allows for families making 350 percent over the poverty line to be eligible. Bush proposed increasing incentives for families to purchase private health insurance by offering a $15,000 tax deduction and establishing tax-free health savings accounts that allow individuals to save for routine medical expenses and help reduce the cost of private insurance. Menendez’s comeback, future of the bill
In response to Bush’s argument, Ramos said that only $428 million of the $5.5 billion allotted in 2006 was spent on adults, and that approximately two million children across the country currently go without health coverage because of lack of funding, although they are eligible under SCHIP. Ramos added that of the 11 states that received waivers for adults (of which New Jersey is one), no new states have been added to the list in the new proposal. “I find it ironic that the president doesn’t want to cover parents in this program, considering the fact that it was his administration that gave New Jersey waivers from the original program to do exactly this, cover parents,” said Menendez. But before the House can vote on the bill, it will be modified during a House and Senate Conference Committee, because Congress wants to increase funding by $50 billion, bringing the total over the next five years to $75 billion to add even more children to the SCHIP program. After the committee meets, both the House and Senate will take final votes on the bill, which will then be sent up to the president for his signature. According to Ramos, Bush said this past Saturday that he would veto the bipartisan bill when it came before him. If the president vetoes it, the Senate will need a two-thirds majority to override his decision. At this point it is not clear whether proponents of the bill have enough votes to overcome Bush’s veto power. Michael Mullins can be reached at mmullins@hudsonreporter.com.