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Washington, DC -- U.S. Rep. Ron Klein (FL-22) Wednesday issued the following statement regarding President Bush’s veto earlier this morning of the State Children’s Health Reauthorization Bill. Commonly referred to as SCHIP, the program provides health care coverage to over 6.6. million children.
“President Bush’s veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance (SCHIP) Reauthorization bill this morning is a flat-out rejection of a universally-applauded program that provides critical health coverage for millions of children.
“The tremendous benefit of the Children’s Health Insurance Program is that it provides health care coverage for children whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private insurance. It appears that President Bush’s rejection of this program demonstrates a lack of understanding concerning the critical needs of America’s working families.
“The American Medical Association, the Healthcare Leadership Council, the American Cancer Society, and the business community are all strong supporters of SCHIP. The business community in particular supports this plan because of its efficiency and its cost-effectiveness. Furthermore, those of us in Florida feel strongly that we often send more of our taxpayer dollars up to Washington than we get back. The Children’s Health Insurance Program is one of the rare federal programs that allows Floridians to draw back our fair share of federal dollars.
“In the weeks ahead, I will work with both Democrats and Republicans in Congress to put together a veto-proof majority so that we can come together and overturn President Bush’s incomprehensible veto of this important legislation."
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