John Thune: “let me start by saying this amendment is not a poison pill. By voting for this amendment, it doesn't impact any other…”

“let me start by saying this amendment is not a poison pill. By voting for this amendment, it doesn't impact any other part of the legislation, except to limit the expansion of SCHIP in the following ways: To show you how expansive in nature this bill is, this bill would not prevent a State, such as New York, from going to the 400 percent of Federal poverty level, which in New York is about $82,000, which, interestingly enough, would subject over 12,000 people in New York-- taxpayers--to the alternative minimum tax. So, essentially, what we are saying is you are poor enough to qualify for SCHIP, but you are wealthy enough to be subject to the AMT. My amendment says that for children or adults from families with incomes so high they are going to be subject to the AMT, they cannot also be eligible for SCHIP. Families should not be considered low-income for the purpose of receiving taxpayer-funded health insurance and, at the same time, wealthy enough to have to pay the alternative minimum tax. The Congressional Budget Office scores this amendment as achieving savings because there will be fewer people qualifying for SCHIP than otherwise under this bill. This helps us get back to the original intent of the bill, which is to cover low-income children, which I strongly support. I hope Members will support the amendment.”