House again passes health bill for kids

WASHINGTON — In a deepening conflict with the White House, Democrats pushed a revised children's health bill through the House on Thursday but lacked the votes to overcome a threatened second straight veto by President Bush.

The vote was 265-142 on a bill so politically charged that one Republican bluntly accused Democrats of timing the events to dovetail with attack ads planned by organizations supporting the legislation.

"They won't take yes for an answer," retorted Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, as Democrats vehemently denied the charge. He said the legislation included changes demanded by GOP critics of the earlier vetoed bill, including one to prevent illegal immigrants from gaining benefits.

The measure now goes to the Senate.

Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the majority leader, told reporters additional changes are possible before it heads to the White House. At the same time, he added, "I don't want to be strung along" by Republicans merely feigning an interest in bipartisan compromise.

The legislation is designed chiefly to provide coverage for children whose families make too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to purchase private insurance.

The vote put a finer point on the dispute over the reauthorization bill but didn't offer any progress toward a resolution, Utah advocates said.

Organizers of public rallies in favor of the bipartisan CHIP bill say they will reorganize efforts to convince the entire Utah delegation in Congress to veto-proof the approval.

Regardless, CHIP manager Nate Checketts said the insurance plan, which currently covers about 27,000 children (45,200 are eligible but not covered) of working Utah families who don't receive medical coverage and are too poor to buy it, can operate without significant financial stress for at least five months at current enrollments.

The CHIP renewal is a big factor in Gov. Jon Huntsman's goal that every Utahn have health insurance. The CHIP delay thwarts that effort; plus, as several Utah small business representatives said at a health care reform conference on Wednesday, employer-subsidized medical insurance in general is a benefit many are finding they just can't afford.

Before the veto controversy started, advocates for the poor were noting that the number of Utahns — adults and children — who have insurance is actually slipping. And the increase in the uninsured occurred between 2004 and 2005, a period when the economy was much more robust.