PENCE OP-ED: KID'S INSURANCE PROGRAM MUST BE INSTITUTED RESPONSIBLY

Sharing the House Mouse Book

Washington, Oct 30, 2007 - Washington, DC--U.S. Congressman Mike Pence authored the following op-ed that's running in the Muncie Star Press and the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette today on the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP):

The reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) has been the subject of much debate in Congress over the last few months and I thought it timely to share some information about the program and my reasons for opposing the legislation in its current form.

Like most Americans, I support providing health insurance to poor children. Children below the federal poverty level are provided health insurance through Medicaid and I have long supported these programs. SCHIP was first enacted by the Republican Congress in 1998 to provide health insurance coverage to children near the poverty level and their families and I support reauthorizing the program as it was originally intended.

I opposed both versions of SCHIP advanced by the Democratic Congress because they represented a massive expansion of this anti-poverty program into the middle class. The current proposals did not ensure that poor children would be covered first and did not provide sufficient safeguards to make sure that illegal immigrants do not receive coverage. By expanding the program to families who already have insurance, the current SCHIP proposal would encourage millions of families with private health insurance to move onto government rolls, burdening future generations of Americans with obligations that private insurance now covers.

And this is a middle class entitlement. Under the first Democrat proposal, families with incomes of up to $83,000 a year could be entitled to coverage. Under the Democrats' most recent proposal, families with incomes of up to $62,000 would still be eligible. One of the ways the Democrat Congress proposes to pay for this program is by raising the federal tax on cigarettes by 61 cents to $1 per pack. Having Hoosier smokers pay another 61 cents per pack to fund a new middle class entitlement is not fair and not fiscally responsible.

That said, I do support reauthorizing the SCHIP program and have cosponsored legislation that would keep SCHIP focused where it belongs, on kids and families near the poverty level. The More Children, More Choices Act, is a responsible way to reauthorize the SCHIP program that focuses on poor children while making it easier for middle class families to obtain health insurance through tax credits. Unlike the Democrat proposal, this legislation makes sure that the neediest American children are covered first. It also expressly prohibits illegal immigrants from receiving taxpayer-funded insurance while providing more and better choices for America's working families.

As a father of three teenagers, I believe that making sure the poor children of our nation have the coverage they need is a national priority, but it must be done in a fiscally responsible way. The proposals put forth by the Democratic Congress thus far do not do so, and that is why I have opposed them. I will continue, however, to work in a bipartisan manner to focus on the needs of the children of East Central Indiana. I believe Congress can and will find a way to reauthorize SCHIP in a manner that serves the interests of this generation and the next.