Health care at stake for low-income kids

WASHINGTON — Washington state will get millions more a year to provide health coverage for uninsured children if a bill making its way through the U.S. Senate becomes law.

The program at stake, called the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), provides health insurance for low-income children who do not qualify for Medicaid.

SCHIP is set to expire in September.

Senate Democrats and Republicans have battled over how much money to give the program over the next five years. The current bill would provide $60 billion — $35 billion more than the Congressional Budget Office estimated.

President Bush has threatened to veto the measure, saying the increase is a backdoor attempt to implement government-provided universal health care.

Washington has a greater stake in the bill than most states: For years it has covered proportionately more children than many states by paying the extra cost out of its own pocket.

In addition to bolstering the SCHIP program generally, the bill would relieve Washington and 10 other states of some of those costs.

The Legislature has pledged that all Washington children will have health coverage by 2010.

On Sunday, the state will expand the eligibility for publicly financed health care to an estimated 45,000 uninsured children in families with incomes up to 2-½ times the federal poverty level.

For example, children in families of four with incomes up to $51,625 will be eligible for coverage. The expansion was approved by the Legislature earlier this year.

The Senate bill, drafted by Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., and scheduled for committee action today, would renew the SCHIP program for five more years.

Experts say the extra $35 billion would provide health coverage for 3.3 million of the estimated 9 million American children who are currently uninsured. To pay for the program, Congress would raise tobacco taxes, including a 61-cent-a-pack increase in the federal cigarette tax.

Democrats had hoped to go further, originally calling for a $50 billion SCHIP bump that might not have garnered bipartisan support.

"Obviously, I think people would like a more aggressive program, but I don't think we can get 60 votes on a more aggressive program," said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.

Cantwell, a Finance Committee member, has long lobbied for the federal government to put more money toward children's health care.

Sixty votes are needed to break a Senate filibuster — a tool regularly used by the minority party to prevent bills from going to a vote. It would take a two-thirds vote to override any presidential veto.

"I think it's important that Republicans and Democrats stand up to the president on this, and several have already told him that it's a good package," Cantwell said.

Even if the bill passes the Senate, action also is required in the House, which has yet to unveil its version. The House is expected to present a bill before the congressional recess in August.