Veto of CHIP disappoints advocates

Local children's advocates are disappointed but not surprised that President Bush on Wednesday vetoed legislation for a second time that would have expanded government-provided health insurance for poor children.

Advocates and congressional leaders were already commenting prior to the Wednesday veto that extension into 2008 — not expansion — would likely be the alternative for the popular Children's Health Insurance Program.

Wednesday was the deadline for Bush to act or let the bill become law. The president also vetoed an earlier, similar bill that would have expanded the health insurance program.

In a statement notifying Congress of his decision, Bush said the bill was unacceptable because — like the first one — it allows adults into the program, would cover people in families with incomes above the U.S. median, and raises taxes.

"This bill does not put poor children first, and it moves our country's health care system in the wrong direction," Bush's statement said. "Ultimately, our nation's goal should be to move children who have no health insurance to private coverage, not to move children who already have private health insurance to government coverage."

Bush urged Congress to extend the program at its current funding level before lawmakers leave Washington for their holiday break.

The bill Bush vetoed would have increased federal funding for CHIP by $35 billion over five years, to add an estimated 4 million people to the program that provides insurance coverage for children from families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford private insurance.

The joint federal-state program currently provides benefits to roughly 6 million people, mostly children.

Judi Hilman, executive director of the private, nonprofit Utah Health Policy Project, summed up the past six months of CHIP debate as "very difficult" and the "super-majority needed in the House to overcome the president's veto has proved too much."

She said all advocates can do at this point is thank Sen. Orrin Hatch for his support of the CHIP reauthorization, look past the disappointment and encourage him and the rest of the Utah congressional delegation "to make the best of an unfortunate situation" by passing a one-year extension.

Latest U.S. Census figures show that the percentage of Utah children covered by private insurance has actually increased slightly, but that increase was offset by a drop in children receiving publicly funded insurance, including Medicaid and CHIP.

Utah's rise in the percentage of uninsured children and adults has occurred despite Utah's robust economy and low unemployment, conditions that usually lead to a drop in the percentage of uninsured.