Hatch votes against SCHIP

Twelve years ago, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, helped create the State Children's Health Insurance Program to insure children of working-but-poor parents. On Thursday, he voted against a Democratic bill to expand and extend the program.

"The original 1997 legislation achieved a fine balance between providing health-care coverage for children of the working poor and balancing the federal budget," Hatch said. "Unfortunately, the original intent that has worked so well for more than 10 years is lost in the partisan amendments found in the current version."

Hatch voted against the bill in the Senate Finance Committee, which passed the bill anyway. The House passed the SCHIP bill on Wednesday. Supporting it there was Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, but opposing it were Reps. Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah. President George W. Bush twice vetoed similar bills last year, but President-elect Barack Obama is expected to sign it.

Hatch said the government struggled to pay for SCHIP in good financial times when fewer and lower income children qualified for it.

"I do not know how we can keep adding more and more people when we first need to take care of the children the program was intended to help. Unfortunately, many are ignoring that there is a limited pot of money to pay for the CHIP reauthorization bill," Hatch said.

— Lee Davidson