Frank Pallone: “it wasn't enough that President Bush vetoed two children's health bills that would have made great advances in…”

“it wasn't enough that President Bush vetoed two children's health bills that would have made great advances in children's health. Now my Republican colleagues are trying to undermine the coverage gains that would be made in this bill. This proposal being put forward by my Republican colleagues isn't a way to put poor kids first. It's a way to stop States from moving forward to help additional uninsured children. The CHIP bill already puts poor kids first by targeting enrollment bonuses only to the poorest kids, those in Medicaid. Eight in ten newly insured children under CHIP have incomes below current eligibility levels. The Republican proposal is simply a way to stop States from moving forward. Unfortunately, the reality of today is that these moderate income families who would be excluded under this motion are struggling to make ends meet, too. Health costs have been rising much faster than income over the past decade. A family at 300 percent of poverty, for example, earning $52,800 a year--these so-called rich folks, according to Republicans--now spend an average of 19 percent of their income on premiums for employer-sponsored coverage if they even have access to it. Ten years ago, that same family was only spending 11 percent of income on premiums for their employer plan. The CHIP bill moves us forward. It's the largest investment in children's health since the original CHIP law was passed in '97.”