Contact: Emily Christensen, Washington DC, (202) 224-5444

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE      August 02, 2007

Bennett Votes Against SCHIP, Says Program Needs to Return to Original Focus

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Late tonight the Senate voted, 68-31, to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP. Senator Bob Bennett (R-Utah) voted against the legislation, saying that the program has lost its original focus and covers too many adults and encourages too many families to drop private coverage for the public program.

            “My concerns with this bill have always focused on the program’s shift from its original intent of providing low-income children with health insurance, to moving dangerously close to a government-run health care system. I have serious concerns with the amount of money dedicated to a program that is hailed as a bill for America’s poor children, when in reality an average of 13 percent of the SCHIP dollars go to adults, and in some states like Wisconsin that number is as high as 75 percent. The sponsors of the bill say that the waivers will go away, but the fact is that adults who currently have waivers will be grandfathered into the reauthorized program.

“This bill does provide billions of dollars for expansion, but this will likely result in a “crowd out” effect where children or families drop private insurance and opt instead for public funds. This is unacceptable. In Utah alone it is estimated that there are over 45,000 children who are eligible for SCHIP but are not enrolled. The focus should be on enrolling these children instead of on families who have access to a private plan.

            “I think we can do better than this. It is clear, given the inevitable veto by the president, that this bill will be back before the Congress in a different form. SCHIP is a valuable program and one that should be reauthorized in a logical and responsible way. I look forward to being part of that debate.”

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http://bennett.senate.gov/