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Cornyn: Cover Low-Income Children First; Seek Broader Health Care Solutions
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. John Cornyn made the following statement Wednesday regarding the importance of a bipartisan agreement to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and seek broader health care solutions:
“SCHIP has been a remarkable success. I strongly support the reauthorization and expansion of the SCHIP program, but our focus must be on covering low-income children first—the original intent of the program. We must not allow this important program to be undermined by those who want the federal government to play an even greater role in our lives. Instead, we must seek bipartisan solutions to health care that provide for the neediest in society while allowing the greatest possible flexibility for all Americans to get the best health care available. Using the SCHIP program to expand federal control of health care does not help our children. We can do better.
“The Kids First alternative we proposed and I voted for this summer is better for Texas. It would finance a 50 percent expansion of the Texas SCHIP program, fully funding the program projections set by the Texas Legislature. In addition, by providing $700 million for outreach and enrollment, Kids First is more targeted to help the uninsured Texas children already eligible for the program. Approximately 700,000 Texas children are currently eligible, but not enrolled in either SCHIP or Medicaid, yet the majority plan contains only token funds for critical outreach efforts.
“The Democratic bill balloons SCHIP by more than 140 percent to include adults and children in families up to 400 percent of the poverty level. It is far too expensive. Their proposal would penalize states such as Texas that adhere to the original intent of the program. It does this by raising taxes—disproportionately on lower-income individuals—and sending Texas taxpayer money to northern states. In other words, Texas taxpayers would be effectively financing a dramatic expansion of government-run health care in states that deliberately expand their SCHIP programs well beyond its original intent.
“In addition to working to cover low-income children, I will continue to push my colleagues to focus on broader health care solutions. This includes developing a consumer-driven health care system that allows choice and personal options, levels the playing field for taxpayers, lowers costs, increases health insurance portability, expands transparency and information technology, and provides financial assistance for those who need it. A government-run, single payer system being proposed by some would put a government bureaucrat between the patient and the doctor. This would increase taxes, decrease access and quality, and stifle medical innovation, which is where our country has excelled.”
BACKGROUND:
- Sen. Cornyn made clear when this issue first came before the Senate in July that SCHIP should not only be reauthorized but even be expanded. As he said in this statement, “Reauthorization of SCHIP is extremely important to Texas, especially as our state strives to continue improving access to quality, affordable health care for children.”
- Sen. Cornyn in July voted for an alternate bill called Kids First that provided a $10 billion increase in funding, to $35 billion over five years, and would enroll an additional 1.3 million children. But the Congressional majority went on a spending spree, rejecting fiscal responsibility, by passing a $60 billion plan that accommodates families with an income of more than $80,000. The Democratic plan extends coverage from working, low-income children—the intended recipients—to parents, single adults and families earning more than $80,000.
- The Democratic bill would penalize states such as Texas that stick with the original intent of SCHIP. The Texas Legislature has repeatedly kept SCHIP funding eligibility maximums at 200 percent above the federal poverty level, or $41,000 for a family of four. The Democratic bill is so lavishly funded that Texas cannot possibly observe the original program intent and still spend all funds allocated to it. Those funds will thus eventually be diverted to other states.
- Under the $35 billion Kids First, over five years, Texas would be able to increase enrollment in SCHIP by more than 50 percent, as planned, and still have $200 million in unspent federal matching funds available after fiscal year 2012. Under the $60 billion Democratic bill, Texas would accumulate more than $2 billion in unspent federal matching funds over five years—which would eventually be returned to the Treasury and spent by other states with more costly SCHIP programs.
Sen. Cornyn serves on the Armed Services, Judiciary and Budget Committees. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Border Security and Refugees subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee’s Airland subcommittee.
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