Leavitt defends veto of SCHIP bill

WASHINGTON — Congress and President Bush are locked in a nasty fight over the future of the federal-state program to provide health care for needy children.

Congress approved a bill to add $35 billion to the State Children's Health Insurance Program and extend it over the next five years; the House vote on Sept. 25 was 265-159, and the Senate's vote two days later was 67-29.

Supporters say the $35 billion expansion would allow SCHIP to cover 4 million additional children on top of the 6 million currently enrolled.

On Oct. 3, Bush vetoed the bill.

He has proposed expanding SCHIP by $5 billion by 2012 and limiting enrollment to children from families at 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or $41,300 for a family of four in most states.

SCHIP pays about 70 cents of every $1 states use to insure kids from families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, the government-funded insurance program for the poor and disabled but too little to afford private policies.

The House, which does not appear to have enough votes to override Bush's veto, has scheduled a veto override vote for later this month. The Senate needs 67 votes to override the veto.

The administration's point man on health issues, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, explained the reasons behind Bush's veto and elaborated on the philosophical difference between the Republican White House and the Democrat-controlled Congress.

Question: Why did President Bush veto the $35 billion SCHIP bill?

Answer: Because it's bad for America's health care system. Its real goal is greater government control over the private health care system. The policies of the government ought to be helping people find private insurance, not federal insurance.

The president strongly believes every American ought to have an affordable, basic insurance policy and has laid out plans in which we could assist millions, including children, to get insurance.

He does not believe SCHIP ought to be the vehicle to create national health insurance.

Question: Bush says the congressional proposal would allow families earning up to $83,000 a year to get SCHIP coverage. Congressional critics disagree. They say only New York state seeks to increase the income ceiling and there's nothing in the law overturning the Bush administration's rejection of New York's "waiver" request to go that high. Could you clarify this for us?