Max Baucus: “in 1997, Congress enacted the Children's Health Insurance Program--10 years ago. From the beginning, it has been about…”

“in 1997, Congress enacted the Children's Health Insurance Program--10 years ago. From the beginning, it has been about kids. It has been about trying to give the parents of low-income working families the peace of mind that comes from knowing that health care is there for their children. That is all this is, it is about health care for kids. These are kids in working families, not kids in wealthy families, not kids in middle-income families--kids in working families. These are kids who, through no fault of their own, were born into families having had a hard time buying medical insurance in America, and we are trying to help these kids. A large number of Senators on both sides of the aisle have worked together to try to reach a consensus. Both sides of the aisle--Senator Grassley, Senator Rockefeller, Senator Hatch, and I--met together and worked things out. And when the House failed to muster enough votes to override the President's veto, we worked together with House Republicans to help kids. All four of us--Senator Grassley, Senator Rockefeller, Senator Hatch, and I--met repeatedly with moderate House Republicans to try to find a middle ground. We have made progress. We made a lot of progress, and I believe a compromise is very close, is within reach. I believe given a little more time, Congress could pass a CHIP bill that could achieve the support of more than two-thirds of both Houses of Congress.”