The Wall Street Journal: Buhs veta proyecto de ley para expandir seguro médico infantil

Bush Vetoes Bill to ExpandChildren's Insurance Program

By SARAH LUECK
WASHINGTON -- President Bush issued the fourth veto of his presidency Wednesday, effectively blocking a bill that would increase funding for a children's health insurance program.
Democrats in Congress vowed to try to override the veto, though it appears unlikely that the House will have the necessary two-thirds support to do so. While House Democrats say they are within about 13 to 15 votes of being able to override the veto, top Republicans in the chamber say they are confident they will be able to stop the effort.

The House showdown is planned for the week after next, in part because Democrats want Senate Republicans to be present to help lobby their House colleagues. Next week, the Senate is on recess, so House Democrats are holding off until the lawmakers return. But, by all accounts, the vote will be one of several battles in a debate over CHIP that's expected to stretch until the end of the year.

The legislation Mr. Bush vetoed is the product of bipartisan negotiations in the Senate, though most Republicans in both chambers have opposed it. The bill would spend an additional $35 billion over five years on the Children's Health Insurance Program, in which the federal government provides capped grants to states to help cover low-income children. The new spending would be funded with an increase in the federal tobacco tax amounting to 61 cents per pack of cigarettes. The bill would phase out coverage of childless adults now covered in some states, and it would reduce funding available to states that include families with incomes over 300% of poverty, or about $60,000 a year for a family of four.

Mr. Bush and most House Republicans have criticized the bill for spending too much on subsidies for families that could be helped to by private coverage outside of the government program. House Republicans complained that they were left out of the negotiations on the legislation, and they and the White House said the veto will open a chance to revisit the specific provisions.
Still, opponents of the legislation have been at pains to say they are not against the children's health program, amid charges by Democrats that Republicans --and Mr. Bush in particular -- are insensitive to the health needs of low-income children. Groups affiliated with Democratic causes plan to drive that message home in coming days. MoveOn.org, along with labor groups, plan rallies in more than 200 congressional districts Thursday, to urge action on the legislation. The groups' message was clear in the headline of a press release from Americans United for Change shortly after the veto: "Bush Shafts Kids." (Health Blog: Kids' Health Advocates Vow to Fight Veto).

Democrats "made their political point" by sending Mr. Bush a bill they knew he would veto, said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino. "What the President said is, look, send me the bill, I will veto it, and then we will get about the business of trying to find some common ground and reach an agreement on a way forward."

For at least the next two months, however, there's little chance of a breakthrough between the two sides. Democrats show little interest in making big changes to a bill on which they already made huge compromises with Senate Republicans to get the bill to Mr. Bush's desk. And they see political advantages ahead of the 2008 elections in a drawn-out debate.

Plus, substantive policy differences remain. Mr. Bush has drawn his line for CHIP eligibility at 200% of the poverty level, or about $40,000 a year for a family of four, while the bill passed by Congress would allow states to receive funding for covering people at higher income levels, provided the federal government approves the plans. State flexibility to cover people at higher income levels has been part of CHIP since it was created 10 years ago, Democrats say. But now Mr. Bush sees a chance to regain the confidence of conservatives by tightening his views on spending. He and other Republicans say the program should be geared toward covering the poorest children first. Supporters of the legislation Mr. Bush vetoed said it would begin to do that.
Write to Sarah Lueck at sarah.lueck@wsj.com

Disponible en The Wall Street Journal