U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, MI-08, said a children’s health care measure rammed through the U.S. House today fails to protect poor children, fails to protect single moms struggling to care for the health of their children, fails to protect taxpayers against the cost of health care for non-citizens who are in the country illegally, and fails to encourage innovative new ways of providing health care for poor children.

“Unfortunately what we saw here today is ‘partisanship as usual’ rather than a fresh bipartisan approach to serve American families,” Rogers said after the House voted to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). “I support reauthorization of SCHIP, however today’s legislation ignores 500,000 poor children in America who qualify for and should be first in line for health care coverage.”

Rogers, who serves on the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, noted that while hundreds of thousands of the women and children needing health care coverage were ignored in the bill, Democrat leaders kept none of their promises for ‘full, fair debate,’ a ‘full amendment process,’ and reasonable time to review important legislation:

PROMISE: “Bills should generally come to the floor under a procedure that allows open, full, and fair debate consisting of a full amendment process that grants the Minority the right to offer its alternatives, including a substitute.” – Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s “A New Direction for America,” Page 24

PROMISE: "Elect us, hold us accountable, and make a judgment … But I do tell you that if the Democrats win, and have substantial majorities, Congress of the United States will be more bipartisan." -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 10-29-08, http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/politics&id=6473426

FACT: The SCHIP bill was written in secret by a small group of Democrats and special interests and its 258 pages provided to House members only 24 hours before it came to the floor for a vote. No committee reviewed or debated the details of the legislation, no amendments were allowed, and the impact of some provisions remains unknown.

“One detail we do know is this bill would shut down over 200 cancer centers, pain clinics, dialysis centers and specialty hospitals serving seniors in Medicare,” Rogers said. “This is not the change America was promised. It is exactly what the American people hoped this Congress would not do. We need to come together to help needy children, and not pit the needs of seniors against the needs of kids.”