CNN

Yay! Free Healthcare!

The gubmint needs to provide it for me.

The gubmint needs to give me food, too. Make mine filet mignon! Hell, I'm not paying for it... you are! Sucker!

I want... no no... I DEMAND universal single-payer healthcare.

I also DEMAND universal single-payer cable TV and universal single-payer X-Box.

...and universal single-payer iPods...

and universal single-payer Cadillac Escalades rolling on twinny-fo inch logz, dog!

And you silly b*stards are going to pick up the tab. Keep working hard... millions on welfare are depending on you.

Headline: Bush vs. Congress on kids' health insurance

Since when is being 25 years old considered being a kid?

Typical liberal media bias.

If they'd just vote to fund the program AS IT CURRENTLY EXISTS, I don't think many people would have a problem with it. But creeping the mission of sCHIP (to cover every Tom/Dick/Harry) is certainly where most of the opposition comes in.

For Democrats, it's never enough (your tax dollars, that is).

To Terry in El Paso

I'm sure you'd be very well off without the goods and services provided by those living in higher risk areas.

As usual, for a democrat sponsored bill, the idea and intent is good and honorable. The overall plan, details and execution is faulty.

Bush doesn't hate kids. Send him a realistic bill and he'll be happy to sign it.

Children are exempt from politics. Their well-being and welfare is, or should be, a primary concern of all levels of government. I do not care if the child's parents are illegal immigrants, the child committed no crime. Every child in America is entitled by his presence on our soil to good medical care, a free education, a decent, safe place to live, and the opportunity to grow into a responsible citizen.

To those of you whose flinty little hearts only beat once a month or so and who would deny government sponsored health care to children who are not currently receiving good health care, I say go live on the moon. The lack of living growing things there will make you feel more at home.

If the "free" (ha!) market provides only expensive health care and measly salaries, then it is the duty of the government to provide good health care to any child who lacks it.

If the budget gets too high and we need to cut governmental expenses, then let's cut back on all those police and firefighters. After all, there's never been a fire in MY house and no burglar ever stole MY stuff. Why should I pay for those who do not put burglar bars and private alarms on their homes? Also, we can quit spending money on disaster relief. MY home is in the safe southwestern desert, where there are no earthquakes, no levees to break, no tornadoes, and no hurricanes. Why should I pay for those losers who choose to live dangerously alongside a river bank, an ocean, a geological fault, or a tornado zone? There is a lot more fat in the budget we can cut, like retirement accounts for federal employees, inspections of imported food and toys (the free market will handle that over time), etc. etc.

A family with $70,000 annual gross income would only get SCHIP coverage if it consisted of 5 or more people. (Say, two parents and 3 kids) $70,000 is not a whole lot of money when you have to provide food, clothes and shelter for 3 kids. If they live in CA or NY and their employers don't provide benefits, I can see how health insurance can be a problem.

What I don't see though, is how these numbers are going to add up. Health insurance is expensive (average of $1000 a _month_). There aren't enough smokers in the country to pay for that.

Repulican plan of governance-

If you are not in the top 2%, who cares. If you can not afford it, your not important enough to bother with and won't be missed anyway.

I forgot to mention the illegals. This is a problem but it really does not matter. Hospitals are bound by oath as well as law to treat, then bill. The hospitals could hold them hostage until someone stepped up to pay. Our government could bill their government.

Would you really want to go to a hospital that turned people away? If the sole reason for a hospital to exist depended on making a buck and not medical care, I would go to the non-profit down the street.

No matter what there will always be people who skip out. We need to fix the border problem; that will fix illegals coming over just for 'free' healthcare.

If Bush vetos this at the same time he asking for 200 billion for his war, may he rot in h**l. And for the senators and representives who refuse to vote for this while they will continue to support Bush in his ill-fated war, may you rot with him.

To all those fools who say that 'if someone doesn't have health insurance or can't afford it, they should just change jobs', are you aware that companies providing insurance have declined from 67% a couple years ago, to 60% today? Your company could be the next one to drop its health insurance. It is happening all over the country. Maybe you will develop cancer during that time and you will not be able to get insurance at all. Then you will be saying that the government should jump in and do something.

As far as income goes 75,000 to 80,000 a year will bearly get a single person by in some areas of the country let alone a family. Oh yeah, they could move but then whole areas of the country will become segerated by income. Sure will help the democrats though, the high income areas in this country are all located in blue states.

We should all be on Medicare with supplemental policies provided by private insurers. Same as the old folks here in this country. Works very well, ask your retired parents. You would probably be paying less in taxes then you do now for your premiums.

And don't forget you are paying for senators and congressmans health insurance and probably all of their dependents share too. I am all for Edwards idea of denying them their insurance until they fix the current system.

This article fails to talk about the millions of illegals this will benifit. Most of the low income familiy children are already eligible for assistance. This bill will increaseit but will also allow non-citizens benifits as well. Why don't the dems look at the fact that millions coming into this country have babies here so they can have a citizen child and then they can't be deported and can even get welfare because their child is a citizen. How is this right? Talk about a burden to us americans. Why dont' we look at the stupid lawsuits that get thrown at out doctors everyday! Or how about this one, a doctor that doesn't even do surgerys, your family doctors having to pay over 300,000 a year in malpractice insurance because their is a monoply on who can insure and that doctor is required to see a certain number of medicaid patients that he knows he won't get paid for. That same doctor will be lucky to clear 100,000 and still pay of loans well over 200,000. So go ahead and socialize medicine it won't help when all the doctors quit because they can't earn a living. It is already hapening in many states!

IS Bush the Grinch that Stole Christmas or what? The dude wants to log in old growth forrests that have been national parks for ages. He refuses to give low income kids healthcare. He refuses to give seniors access to quality technology and low cost drugs.

He might as well come by my house with a swat team and steal my Christmas tree. He's stolen just about everything else, including two elections.

Dems plan of governace:

Increase Taxes:
----–
Income
Cigarettes
Alcohol
Gas
Food
Water
Air
Death

Increase Spending:
-----–
Everywhere, its not our money..

"would expand the program to cover millions of middle-class families"

Do all the poor families in America now have healthcare?
Can't these middle-class kids go without their ipods and cell phones if they want healthcare?

Seems pretty ridiculous that we are even contemplating spending tax dollars on our spoiled middle-class kids when w have so many more priorities. Why is this Congress determined to wallow in pitifully weak legislation? Didn't we give them a mandate??

When is this Congress going to address some of our real problems, like the war or maybe the BUDGET/NATIONAL DEBT??

We need a real change in Washington, not more cheap campaign promises..

I don't care how much health insurance is. It's not my job to make sure you have it. I have a job. I pay my own premiums and am fortunate enough that my employer contributes as well.
As for the smoking tax, to generate the revenue you are basing it on the continued use. People will continue to quit the more expensive it gets. That's why I quit. So what are we to do in 10 years when the tax on cigarettes doesn't generate the revenue expected? Find a funding source that will actually be sustained in the long term.

Why not have the government give free food, housing, education, clothing, and furniture to the middle class too?

Why not have the government adopt all the kids, so the parents don't have to care for them?

When we are spending 12 billion a week on Iraq? What difference it will make if it is 25 billion or 35 billion? 75k in NY or NJ is same 40K in Montana or Wyoming. Why is Bush making so much fuss on this issue? Why is he afraid to talk with Pelosy and compromise? Is it always his way or highway? Anyway, Bush and Cheney are not running election. It is those who opposed this bill will be wiped out.

These Dems can't get the public to warm up to their socialist medicine, so they;re doing it bit by bit. Yes, all children should be able to get insurance , but regular health care visits are NOT the liability of the taxpayers. Never was, never should be.

If at first you don’t succeed... link it to children. After all, who can be against helping children? I have nothing against children, but why are children other than my own my responsibility? Why am I even bothering to go to work? If I can get food stamps for groceries, subsidized housing, federally-provided health care for my kids, maybe a sub-prime mortgage bail-out, and a welfare check to cover that new Halo-3 video game, perhaps I’ll just stay home and let the rest of you suckers pay my bills. Reminder to all you welfare statists: eventually the parasites greatly outnumber the producers and society falls apart – or have you never heard of ancient Rome?

It’s so easy to fool the public. All you have to do is use the pretense of suffering children. This bill, if eventually signed by Bush or pressed into law by majority vote, is destined to fail. Does no one remember the failed “Luxury Tax of the “90’s? Who was the buffoon responsible for that fiasco? The government lost over seven million dollars in unemployment claims than the stupid Luxury Tax even produced before it was mercifully cancelled. If any of those people writing in support of this foolish bill were to actually read and understand the implications, I’m certain they would change their position. Bottom line here is…if you are making $80K a year…support your own children’s health care! These idiots in Washington are counting on the publics continued ignorance of the contents of such bills. READ the DAMM bill! Understand who it will really impact!

Parents should think about these sorts of things BEFORE they have children. They should be prepared to provide for their children, not expecting anyone else, including the government to provide for them.

Why can't we be covered? We have a child. My husband only makes $100,000/year. Why should WE have to pay for healthcare ourselves?

Because it's a commodity. If you can't afford it for your kids, perhaps you shouldn't have kids. They're a luxury.

No one seems to realize or mention that Bush, and every member his administration, as well as Congress, receive the best medical care possible at an instant notice. A team of doctors are on call to treat the slightest complaint from Bush and his entourage.
Why is the taxpayer footing the bill? Their income places them in the bracket to provide their own medical care.
Who is paying for that?
Public Servants? Hardly. Royalty? Most definitely.

paying for the expansion with
61-cent-per-pack tax increase on cigarettes.

Tax and spend, tax and spend. The liberals answer for everything and solution to nothing.

The administration can spend freely in Iraq and every other worthless place on the planet, and he can make his speeches to a world audience, however when it comes to the needs of Americans, WE NO LONGER EXIST.

Actually right now, 2.7 million of the additional 3.3 million kids they wish to cover are eligible for enrollment under existing plans and/or Medicaid. Why are they not covered? Failure to enroll.

Of the purported 46 million uninsured Americans, nearly a third of them are 'undocumented' Americans. Another 20 million or so are eligible for Medicare/Medicaid benefits but .... are not enrolled.

Part of the increase is in this bill is to accomodate the costs associated with enrolling the additional eligible children.

The problem that I see with this bill is that it looks (singles out) to one target group to bear the burden of the legislation.

For a pack a day smoker, that's 222 dollars per year. I smoke, I don't have a problem with helping underprivileged folks. But, if this is such a necessary piece of legislation, shouldn't we all step up to the plate?

If I'm gonna bust a couple hundred bucks into the system, maybe you could give up your cell phone, or cable TV, or internet connection.

This country is full of do gooders when they aren't the ones in the cross-hairs of the government. But when it comes time to pony-up, we are definitely not like 'the great generation'.

We need to make government smaller not BIGGER you fools. It's not my responsibility to pay for my neighbor's healthcare. Where do we live? CUBA. If you can't afford to pay for your own healthcare don't force me to pay for it. Get a better job or one that offers medical insurance. This is an attempt at addicting more Americans to a government program. People making up to if not more than 75,000/year,depending on what area of the country you live, could be eligible
under this expansion. What's really despicable is parading children around in an effort to sway public opinion. Nancy Pelousy should be ashamed of herself. "It's for the children" is making me sick.

Families making $75K per year give up $15-25K right off the bat in taxes, take home is around the $55K mark. A family insurance plan runs $12K per year in premiums(if you are healthy!), let's say you're not self employed and your company pitches in a little, YOU are still on the hook for roughly $8500/year in premiums alone, not counting any out-of-pocket or co-pay expenses. Earning $75 year(gross) in a major city just doesn't mean what it used to. I have in-laws that made $130K and went bankrupt because of a sick child. The health insurance carriers priced them out of coverage by hitting them with $2100 per month premiums at renewal, they can't afford any coverage and are broke and uninsured. Our country is a disgrace when it comes to health insurance, just do a little research on Humana, Aetna, Anthem...etc. and their record profits. The lower and middle classes need relief.

Wow, just love having the Government hooked on cigarettes! For the sake of the children, nobody can stop smoking now! It is your moral duty!

Some of the children that could be covered are in areas that have high cost of living. In NJ, taxes and the cost of living is really high. Many companies that pay well don't offer insurance because they can't afford it.

Paying for it with things that cause health problems makes sense. I am sure that there will be something some people use which isn't healthy that we can discourge people from using by increasing taxes on and put that money to go use.

To BCNU, it makes sense to raise the tax on these things. It also makes sense to increase the gasoline tax so that we make sure the road and bridges stay in place as well as supporting mass transit. It would also work to curb people buying vehicles that don't make sense and encourage smarter choices. Who really needs a large SUV in a major city like New York, D.C. or Philadelphia?

Gee whiz to include families making in excess of $75K per year. Whoopee, with that income I can afford to live from pay check to pay check, unless I have children at home. If a family making $75K per year has a family member that is employed and has health care provided through work, nay avaiable through work then I say nay, let them pay for the care of their children. If it is a case where they refuse health insurance so that they can receive government care for their children, then I say nay. But if you think a family, with children, making $75K per year with no employer provided healthcare can afford private insurance you need to wake up and evalualate what planet you have beamed down from.

Are you afraid that you are going to pay more out to cover the additional medical coverage this legislation provides. Well then you have better look at the additional costs incurred any way you look at it. What does it cost to go to the doctors office, say $100.00. What does it cost to treat an illness that has been permitted to become sever because the doctor was not visited? Does not matter if they have insurance or not, if they really get sick, its the emergency room (high cost treatment) and they will receive care. More than likely they will not be able to afford that care, guess who's goingto pickup the tab. Well, I would rather pay for the doctors office visit than the ER but that just me.

If we can not provide medical care for our future, that's our children, then I really do not know what to say. But I will say the vast majority of individuals I have talked with that agree that the President should Veto this bill are the first ones that would expect the government to take care of them if they themselves got ill.

Just think about it 3 months of this no end war in Iraq will pay for health insurance for the children of our country for 5 YEARS!!!

Bush is stubborn as an old mule. HE WILL VETO IT. I guarantee it.

President Bush by far is the worst president that this country has ever seen. He can spend trillions on the war, but wants to put limited dollars on health care for this country's children. He is a very bull-headed, self-absorbed, arrogant, selfish human being. May God bless this country under his administration.

Yeah, so everybody keep smoking so we can fund kids' healthcare.

Do I smell a bit of irony here?

The president is willing to spend $25 million total on the SCHIP program, but willing to spend $10 billion per month on the Iraq war? What is wrong with this picture? Oh well, I guess to look at the bright side, we're killing so many of our young men and women in the Iraq war that there won't be as many children around to need the SCHIP program.

Why should Vice President Bush care about kid's health?

They can neither vote nor contribute money to political campaigns.

What I would like to know is why neither party talks about one of the biggest contributors to the problems regarding US healthcare. Frivolous lawsuits. Doctors do not make a lot of money, in fact the average just starting out doctor is lucky to clear 150K a year. Now that may seem like a lot to some of you but try working a 30 hour shift at least 3 times a week and then having to pay 6 figure student loans. The doctors have to pay ridiculous amounts just to protect themselves from such lawsuits. This has contributed the rise in cost of healthcare, not to mention the 20 plus illegal immigrants who use our emergency rooms as preventive care centers (without ever paying the bill). In Southern California alone over 3 emergency rooms have been forced to close their doors due to the influx of illegal immigration. We just seem to be dancing around the real issues regarding healthcare and I think because of our PC society everyone in power is too afraid to say anything. I am not sure what the answer is to this crisis but we should start admitting the truths instead of trying so hard not to hurt a group's feelings.

Tell Pelosi to ask Clinton, she is going to fix the healthcare crisis in 90 days as of 1996. What a joke.

They always WANT to GET the TOBACCO COMPANIES, BUT YOU never hear of these BIG WIGS going after the ALCOHOL and LIQUOR COMPANIES. Why? Because that is their LIVELYHOOD in DC. They say tobacco kills, well WHAT DOES ALCOHOL DO? Maybe WE SHOULD start SUING these companies for causing Illness and DEATH. I'd rather be hit by a cigarette THAN A 3000 TON VEHICLE with A DRUNK BEHIND the WHEEL. GET REAL WASHINGTON.

The President is only going to make himself look more like a tyrant by vetoing this bill. It is disgusting and absurd to think that the President believes that we can spend $450 billion on a War in Iraq in which we have lost 3,700 of our best men and women, and yet we cannot spend $35 billion to give healthcare to our children.

I am pleased with my Republican representative, Vern Buchanan, for voting in favor of the bill. I am often at odds with him on other issues, but I'm so glad that he chose to help America's children.

Somehow I doubt Bush would care about isolating himself from the public. He's never cared about the public anyway.
After all, since when has Bush done anything that is in this country's best interests?

Personally, I believe the only thing he'll do in the country's best interest will be on Jan 20, 2009 when he leaves the White House.

Here's how they propose paying for it:

Title VII – Revenue Provisions
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) have
estimated that S. 1893 will increase net revenues by $36.1 billion over five years and $72.8
billion over 10 years. The tax-related provisions include tax increases on cigarettes, cigars, and
other tobacco products.
Notably, the cigarette tax will be increased by $0.61to $1 per pack, and
the tax on cigars will be increased to 53 percent of the sale price, or $10.00 per cigar.
The rates under the bill are as follows:
• Small cigarettes are taxed at the rate of $50.00 per thousand ($1.00 per pack);
• Large cigarettes are taxed at the rate of $104.9999 per thousand;
• Small cigars are taxed at the rate of $50.00 per thousand (the same rate applied to small
cigarettes);
• Large cigars are taxed at the rate equal to 53.13 percent of the manufacturer’s or
importer’s sales price but not more than $10.00 per cigar;
• Cigarette papers are taxed at the rate of $0.0313 for each 50 papers or fractional part Cigarette tubes are taxed at the rate of $0.0626 for each 50 tubes or fractional part
thereof;
• Snuff is taxed at the rate of $1.50 per pound, and proportionately at that rate on all
fractional parts of a pound;
• Chewing tobacco is taxed at the rate of $0.50 per pound, and proportionately at that rate
on all fractional parts of a pound;
• Pipe tobacco is taxed at the rate of $2.8126 per pound, and proportionately at that rate on
all fractional parts of a pound; and
• Roll-your-own tobacco is taxed at the rate of $8.9286 per pound, and proportionately at
that rate on all fractional parts of a pound. The rate for roll-your-own tobacco is intended to approximate the rate for small cigarettes.

Why not bump up the gas tax too? That way a greater percent of Americans also have an opportunity to contribute to the health and well-being of the nation's youth. Plus, it would probably provide more revenue so we could cover EVERYBODY. Make gas $4.25 per gallon (in line with a pack of smokes here in my home state, but still cheaper than a gallon of gas in Europe).

We could also increase the price of a cheeseburger to $5, those fast foods cause a lot of health problems.

Let's go for a bigger tax on booze, that Bud Light you pay $4 per six pack for now, make it $7. If you like Guinness or another real beer, $12-14. Jack Daniels, $90 a bottle. That way when you have a toast, you can really mean "to your health" when you say it (or maybe just say "to someone else's health").

We could also raise postage rates, $1 per letter instead of the current rate. That would be in line with the per pack increase for smokes, and once again, everybody can share the joy of contributing to a worthy cause.

The benefits of my additional taxes above?

Reduce global warming (gas tax, higher cost less usage), reduce drunk driving fatalities (combination of more expensive gas and booze), reduce obesity, thereby reducing health costs by taxing fast food, reduce junk mail since bulk rates would also be increased.

See, when you think big picture instead of just demonizing smokers, we can achieve a synergistic improvement to society by simply taxing the heck out of ALL the citizens equally. Then, Big Brother will come take care of you and everything will be just grand.

I'm placing an order for some black pajamas and a one-speed bike later this afternoon, if anyone wants to join me we might get a discount by purchasing in bulk.
If you don't get the black pajama joke, stay in your hole.

As a friend of mine used to say while observing government employees at work, "As a tax-paying customer, I'm not satisfied!"

What a sad day when the Democrats will wait until an appropriations bill is about to expire....add tens of billions to it – then send it to the president. Why wouldn't they just send it up as it was, then offer expenditure increases with a separate measure?? This way there would never be any risk to the healthcare. Instead – more partisan politics – anyone reading this needs to at least have enough common sense to see this.

It's interesting that Bush thinks we can't afford to insure poor children, but we have plenty of (Chinese)money to continually advance his war agenda. Tells you where his priorities lie. I wish that just once he would show himself to be the Christian he professes to be and take care of the people in this country who need help.

The "Democrats" who voted against this should be thrown out of office. What a waste of space.

Bush is threatening to deny health care to the very same children that will one day grow up, join the military and have to go to Iraq and clean up his mess! If Republicans still have souls, they should put them to good use here and help insure our kid's health!

What Pelosi won't say is that this worthwhile program is being expanded to include children from families making in excess of $75,000 a year..the program was intended to provide insurance for poor kids not bums who want a free ride when they make over $75K...these people need to take care of their own progeny, I took care of my 3kids and never took a cent from anyone and they received the best there was...

Idiots, all of them...........

Here's a question. If Pelosi is so confident and assured in sending this bill to Bush to face his veto, even though she doesn't have a veto-proof majority, why doesn't she do the same thing with Iraq funding?

Put your money where your mouth is, Nancy. There's no reason you can't send Bush an Iraq funding bill that matches your campaign promises to stop the war dead in its tracks, even if Bush will veto it.

You can't complain about Bush's veto threat on one hand and then face him off on the other.

Who is it that calls themselves "compassionate conservatives"? This obviously shows their campassion for what it really is. It also reflects how little they understand the needs of families for simple healthcare, not a handout, just help. This is so sad.

Can someone smarter than I am in economics, explain why Bush would veto this bill. I smoke, go ahead increase the tax, I need to quit anyway. Oh wait, is he afraid of the socialist boogeyman? Give me a break. Provide the coverage for the kids. Or, give us all access to your health insurance plan Bush. Intellectually challenged, greedy and heartless! Unreal.
P.S. I bet if if one his pet corporate buddies needed a tax break he would be running that bill down to the Congress. This administration's priorities are shameful.

If this bill makes households with $80,000 income eligible for SCHIP, or attempts to expand the prgram beyond its present scope, it is an invitation to a Shrub veto which imperils the children who could be covered if you played it straight. Why pick fights you can't win?

many millions in tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations and deficits as far as the eye can see,and soon, a $200 billion request to continue to support Iraq/Afghanistan,while our country is crumbling...and our kids are going to pay for it ALL, with an extra bonus of possibly loss of coverage for millions of them.
ya think its time for a new prez...or what?

WHAT AN ANIMAL.

Now it's time to have a debate about how this would deal with illegal immigrant children.

Let's hear from both sides about this before we just start throwing stones at Bush.

Convinced that the Democrats will refuse to acknowledge these concerns.

Anyone?