CHIP needs to expand

And they say Utah is not a politically diverse state.

The heated debate in Washington over whether to greatly expand the Children's Health Insurance Program comes down to two Utahns. Former Gov. Mike Leavitt, now secretary of health and human services, is against it. Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, who helped author the original program, is for it.

Frankly, Hatch has the better argument. Few government programs have been as effective as this one, which is known commonly as CHIP. It has, according to Hatch, extended health-insurance coverage to more than 6 million children whose parents earn too much to qualify for Medicaid and who otherwise would have no coverage.

But many more children — millions, according to estimates — remain vulnerable. Millions also are in dire need of mental-health treatments, which are limited under the current system.

Leavitt speaks of concerns that an expanded CHIP would open the door to a health-care system controlled mostly by government, rather than the private sector. But the administration would support a $5 billion expansion of the program. The Senate version of the bill would expand it by $35 billion, which is considerably less than the $50 billion under consideration in the House. The program today costs $25 billion total. The administration has yet to articulate at what point the program becomes a danger to private health care, and why.

Leavitt's strongest argument has to do with the way the expansion would be funded. The Senate bill would increase cigarette taxes by 61 cents. That, Leavitt suggests, puts too much reliance on an income source that is unstable and that hurts the poor the most. While the poor certainly could choose not to smoke, thereby adding to their monthly disposable income considerably, it is true that adding to the cost of cigarettes is likely to decrease the number of smokers. That eventually would dry up funds for the program.

But that concern seems worlds away from reality at the moment.

This program is vital because it aids the most vulnerable among us. Children can't control their circumstances. Sometimes they are victims of parents who have addiction problems or who otherwise neglect their needs. Sometimes they have hard-working parents who can't afford insurance and leave diseases or injuries untreated. With millions of them in need, a substantial expansion of CHIP seems justified.