This always seemed like a no brainer for me, but Democrats are finally able to move a bill that would provide millions of uninsured kids with more comprehensive health coverage.
The Democratic-controlled Congress moved a step closer to handing President Barack Obama an early health care victory Thursday as the Senate passed a bill extending government-sponsored health insurance coverage to about 4 million uninsured children.
The bill, which was approved 66-32, authorizes an additional $32.8 billion over the next 4 1/2 years for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. The House plans to take up the same measure next week. – AP
I live in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Milwaukee, WI with my wife Jen, our daughter Emerson, and sons Carter and Colton.
And how are you going to pay for it?
From the 5th paragraph in the linked article:
“The bill pays for expanding SCHIP by increasing the federal excise tax on cigarettes from 39 cents to $1 a pack.”
Dan,
Better light up a Lucky. Smokers are not a bottomless pit of tax revenues; still, they have the virtue of being totally passive whenever the cigarette tax is increased.
This is an interesting bill, I heard nothing about it until you mentioned it on your blog.
Per the WSJ, it covers a lot more than poor children.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123327719403931465.html
Spend spend spend, then act surprised when we have budget shortfalls. I guess that’s not a problem, because the feds will just cover the deficit, right?
I’m all for taxing tobacco, but that could have been done to cover the money the state has already spent.