Bloggers Demand Health Insurance For Kids

With the House vote on expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program expected later today, bloggers are rising up and putting heat on wavering congresspeople.

FireDogLake: [1]

Having worked with at risk children in abuse and neglect cases, I can tell you first hand how important early intervention health care can be for these kids. This is especially true for children with developmental and other medical delays and with chronic medical conditions, where early and appropriate health care can remediate and often help to somewhat correct issues that would cost taxpayers a lot more down the road in educational services and chronic medical care.

How could you not want to do the right thing early for a child to give them a shot at a much better life in years to come?

The Seminal: [2]

This is really a no brainer issue. Healthcare for kids = good.

President Bush has vowed to veto the legislation. His priorities are clearly way off. The amount we spend on the Iraq war in one month could more than double SCHIP’s coverage.

Charlie Averill: [3]

President Bush and his compassionate conservative pals are wanting another 200 billion dollars for their “war” in Iraq, but when it comes to providing an additional 4 million children some health insurance ... they squeal like a herd of pigs.

ThinkProgress: [4] "41 days in Iraq vs. insuring 10 million children."

AFL-CIO Blog: [5]

The bill’s opponents argue the current program should merely be extended [not expanded]. And Bush has claimed the SCHIP bill contains “excessive spending,” even as he’s requested $200 billion more for the war in Iraq.

But because of a big increase in uninsured children in the United States, a simple extension of SCHIP would mean more children than ever would go without doctor visits and medications. With nearly 9 million uninsured children in this country now, we should be doing more to reach them, not less.

Corrente [6] will believe it when it sees it:

Don't worry: Your kids won't die for lack of health insurance because the moderate Republicans will save them ... That’ll be the day.

big bloo sky: [7]

George W. Bush accused those who wanted to put more funding behind the SCHIP program of attempting to be scoring "political points." This speaks volumes about just how little (if at all) George W. Bush cares about the children of America. How could he turn the health and well being of America's children into a political tug-of-war and then accuse those trying to help said kids of playing politics? It's like the man lives in some parallel universe where defunding a program means support and proposing more funding means telling the children to take a hike.

UNC Student: [8]

The bill both increases the number of children who are receive health insurance and increases the tobacco tax to pay for the program, which is a proven method to decrease the youth smoking rates. Of course, some Republicans can't see a good program if it hit them in the face.