Congress Passes Bush-approved SCHIP Funding Bill

Congress has passed a bill extending funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) program until March 31, 2009, without providing expanded funds necessary to provide health insurance coverage to an additional 4 million children. Lawmakers acted facing the expiration of all funding for the popular SCHIP program on December 21.

President Bush had vetoed two previous SCHIP extension bills that included a $35 billion expansion to the program that makes funds available to states to support federally-approved programs providing health insurance coverage to uninsured children.

In vetoing the expanded SCHIP bills, President Bush stated that they would have extended taxpayer-funded health insurance to children of families financially capable of acquiring private insurance.

"We are pleased that the Congress passed legislation to extend SCHIP until March 31, 2009 - and did so without raising taxes," stated the White House in a press release. "Ultimately our goal should be to move children who have no health insurance to private coverage -- not to move children who already have private insurance to government coverage."

Congressional Democrats and many Republicans have vowed to propose new legislation expanding funding for the SCHIP program during the next session of Congress, which starts in January 2008.

Also See:
About the SCHIP Children's Health Insurance Program
Bush Vetoes Expansion of Children’s Health Insurance Program
Bush Crushes Health Care for Uninsured Children (Liberal Politics)