Martin Sabo: “Mr. Speaker, I wish I could be here today to say that I could vote for this bill. I cannot, and I hope I will be able to…”

“Mr. Speaker, I wish I could be here today to say that I could vote for this bill. I cannot, and I hope I will be able to when it comes back from conference committee. Mr. Speaker, let me focus on one program that I think has the potential to be a great positive, but is a long way from achieving its goal. That is the program to expand coverage of uninsured children in this country. There are many problems with the program as it is structured in the bill today. But let me focus on one that has not been subject to much discussion. The reality is that, however we resolve the various disputes that relate to the structure of children's health care, the States will play a vital role. The other reality is that many States have already acted in a very aggressive fashion through Medicaid or through other plans to expand and cover kids with health insurance, sometimes in the public sector and sometimes in the private sector. Unfortunately, the way the bill is structured today, either by design or by accident, it is structured so it penalizes every State that has acted and rewards the States that have done nothing, or done very little. I think that is both unfair and bad public policy.”