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Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Cornyn responds to President Bush's veto of SCHIP


Senator John Cornyn: (photo) Cover Low-Income Children First; Seek Broader Health Care Solutions

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.”

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