Boost in health insurance urged

S.C. lawmakers from both parties urged Congress to re-authorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program and find the $50 billion needed to pay for it.

The program, set to expire September 30, would give the state $795 million and could allow it to move toward insuring 35,000 more children.

Both the state Senate and the House have approved increased spending for children's health insurance in separate versions of the state budget. Lawmakers raised coverage under the program from 150 percent of poverty to 200 percent, meaning families of three making $34,340 or less would be added to the insured rolls of the state. The move insures an additional 65,000 children.

The proposed spending plans each include an additional $22 million to pay for  new coverage. The House version uses one-time funds and adds a co-payment for recipients; the Senate makes the funding permanent. The differences are being resolved in a conference committee.

Comments

[Aaron]

Legislation now pending before Congress called the "Common Sense Budget Act" (HR 1702), would among other things, shift $10 billion per year from obsolete Cold-War era weapons programs to fully fund children's health care providing insurance for all 9 million US kids that go uncovered. You can do this without raising a dime in local, state or federal taxes.

The monies come from weapons systems that have no place in modern warfare, are relics from the cold war with the Soviet Union (remember them?--they went out of business about 20 years ago) and are continuing to drain the Pentagon's budget without protecting America or helping our troops. They do make lobbyists and defense contractors rich, but at the expense of our kids.