For Immediate Release
October 18, 2007

Rep. Pitts Opposes Government Run Healthcare for Middle Class Adults

2 million children will move from private insurance to government run healthcare at taxpayer expense

Washington– Today, Congressman Joe Pitts (PA-16) voted to uphold the Presidential veto of H.R. 976, the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act.  The legislation, intended to reauthorize the bipartisan-created State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), expands coverage beyond the original intent of the program to cover childless adults, middle class families, and illegal aliens. 

Pitts instead supports reauthorizing the program in a way that puts poor children first.  Pitts is a cosponsor of two pieces of legislation that will extend the program and ensure children have health insurance coverage, H.R. 3176 and H.R. 3584.

Congressman Pitts’ statement follows:

“The SCHIP program was created in a bipartisan effort to ensure poor children without health insurance have healthcare coverage.  The legislation we voted on today prioritizes adults who can afford their own insurance over poor kids who can’t.

“I hope the political posturing will be through after this vote so that we can finally sit down as a bipartisan group to discuss legislation to get poor children covered by healthcare.” 

Background:

SCHIP was created in 1997 with bipartisan support.  The program was originally meant to cover children whose parents made too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough money to afford private health insurance.  Through the program, the Federal Government provides funds for the states to administer their own individual programs.  Each state can administer the program as it sees fit within the guidelines laid out by Congress.

H.R. 976 allows states to continue to purposefully ignore various types of income in an effort to expand eligibility. For instance, New Jersey covers up to 350 percent of federal poverty line, over $70,000 for a family of four, by “disregarding” certain income.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that as a result of the bill, 2 million children who currently have private health insurance will shift to government run healthcare.

H.R. 976 was originally passed in the House on September 25, 2007.  The bill was vetoed by President Bush on October 3, 2007.

###