On Saturday President Bush signed legislation that extends the popular children’s health insurace program. He twice vetoed the bill refusing to allow any increases to children of families that made more money but still too much for medicaide and too little to afford health care.The extension of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is expected to provide states with enough money to cover those enrolled through March 2009. Bush and some Republican lawmakers say the program will still serve those that it should and not those whose parents make more money. The matter came to dominate legislative debate and further sour relations between the Democratic leadership and Bush this year.
Many of the Democrats – with help from other Republicans – wanted to give the program a significant cash infusion and broaden coverage to an estimated 4 million children. They overwhelmingly supported use of a tobacco tax increase to pay for the expansion.
Personally I feel they should have went with the higher figures as those 4 million children who weren’t covered are still not protected by insurance. What we need instead of legislation like this is a comprehensive plan to protect each and every American who needs health care. No one should be in the
position of not being able to get needed medical treatments because they can not afford them. We are the only country in the western world that does not provide health care to it’s citizens.
Even those who are lucky enough to be covered by an insurance policy can still suffer drasticly if a major medical problem were to arrise. Families have lost their homes and entire lifes savings when struck by cancer or other terrible diseases that are extremely expensive to treat. Just the co-payments alone are enough to break the budget for individuals and families. It’s sad that people have to make the choice between eating and putting a roof over their head or get the treatment that can save them from the ravages of disease.
This is an election year. You should see exactly how your chosen canidate stands on the subject and don’t be mislead by the tired old excuse that it is socialized medicine and it will lead the country away from democracy. It hasn’t had that effect on France, Great Britain, or Canada and they all provide exellent
health care to their citizens. And they all have a greater life expectancy than us in the U.S.. I feel it is because they can go to the doctor when they need to instead of waiting until they can either afford it – or more likely – the situation has gotten so bad they can not put off going anymore.
So once more check your canidates stance on health care and above all join in the democracy and vote. If you never speak up with your vote you have not right to complain what they do. But if we can get the millions who do not presently vote to register and vote canidates in that will look out for us and not
themselves we will be much better off. As it stands Congress gets exellent health care why can’t we?