This is Shameless!

The State Children's Health Insurance Program, or "S-CHIP" was established in the 1990s to provide health care to poor kids and their families. Most Republican Governors and and a collection of bi-partisan Senators want to expand the program to provide basic health care to poor children. The program works and congress wants to add another $35 billion over the next five years to expand coverage to more families.

Unfortunately, our friends in the White House don't want to expand S-CHIP. Why? They claim it is too expensive and will only lead to more government funded health insurance. Something our conservative friends are inherently against.

The sad truth is S-CHIP works and provides insurance to many of the working poor who cannot afford or do not have access private health insurance. Bush and minions what to limit S-CHIP to only those whose incomes are 200% below the official proverty line.

I really don't buy the argument that S-CHIP costs too much. One could easily pay for it with increasing taxes on cigarettes and taking away subsidies to the pharmaceutical companies that are making a fortune from the Medicare Prescription Drug Program. The real underlying concern among Bush and his conservative idealogues is that S-CHIP really is the first step to federally funded universal health care.

This is a classic example of ideology trumping good public policy. God forbid that the federal government provides health care coverage to poor chidren. The Bushies and fellow travelers would rather stand by their increasingly specious arguments than support a program that really makes a difference.

Even though Iraq remains the 600 pound gorilla that consumes all our attention, don't let the neo-cons pull a fast one. S-CHIP is good public policy that is cost effective. Tell your congressmen and senators you support it.