October 2007 No. 44 Table of Contents Bush veto on S-CHIP – What’s next? No Child Left Behind? Americans: in their own words Indiana at bottom of “Green” states

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Bush veto on S-CHIP – What’s next?

The due-to-sunset State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) will continue at least until mid-November, thanks to Congressional action that keeps federal funds moving into existing programs at their pre-October 1st levels. But it won’t have any extra funding to expand coverage to 10 million kids as Congress wanted.

President Bush kept his promise and vetoed the compromise bill that Congress passed that would have increased funds to S-CHIP by $35 Billion—expanding eligibility to another 4 million American children—by raising federal taxes on cigarettes to $1/pack.

The bi-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that about 2 million—or one-third—of the 5.8 million children who would be added to S-CHIP eligibility rolls by 2012 might have otherwise had private coverage. Bush argued the expanded S-CHIP bill swapped private insurance for government healthcare coverage, leading to “socialized” medicine.

However, CBO estimates weren’t calculating children already covered by private health insurance plans that would be “crowded out” onto government coverage. It estimated the number of currently uninsured who might at some time in the future become covered by private plans. In fact, a previous 10-state evaluation of S-CHIP found that 14% of children could lose private health insurance coverage involuntarily when their parents lost jobs, became divorced, or employers stopped insurance for dependents of workers.

The vetoed S-CHIP law would have:

• mandated dental services
• covered most mental illness services on a par with medical care for physical illnesses
• allowed states to cover low-income pregnant women, with the feds gradually ending coverage of nonpregnant childless adults in the program
• given states new incentives to subsidize private health premiums offered by employers, instead of directly providing coverage of children in low-income families, and
• prohibited use of S-CHIP for health benefits to illegal immigrants.

The President’s veto gets an overwhelming “thumbs down” from Americans. An NPR-Kaiser Family Fdn-Harvard School of Public Health survey discovered:

• 67% think government isn’t doing enough to cover children—pluralities of Democrats (82%), Independents (69%), and Republicans (43%) agreed
• 70% support S-CHIP renewal, expansion, and a cigarette tax increase for funding—82% of Democrats, 69% Independents, and 54% Republicans
• only a majority of Republicans worry that the renewed S-CHIP law would provide insurance for some children in families who could afford it or who might drop private insurance and switch to the government coverage; these arguments didn’t sway Democrats or Independents
• 52% overall don’t believe that the expansion of S-CHIP is “a step toward a system where the government runs all the country’s health care” (51% of Republicans said it was compared to 37% of Democrats and 39% of Independents)
• 65% (big majorities of all political parties) think the states should set S-CHIP eligibility standards
• as far as family income eligibility for S-CHIP, 64% agree that it ought to be 2 times the federal poverty level (IaUW’s “self-sufficiency standard”); 43% approved 300% of FPL, and 32% were for 400% FPL
• all together 67% disapprove of President Bush’s veto of S-CHIP expansion—87% of Democrats, 71% of Independents, and 34% of Republicans
• 61% of Republicans thought Congress should not overturn the veto, while 84% of Democrats and 68% of Independents said it should.

Pollsters said the fallout of this vote won’t make much difference in 2008 election voting.

A mid-Oct. Gallup poll found Americans had more confidence in the Democratically-controlled Congress to handle the S-CHIP issue than in the President. Respondents also thought that S-CHIP should go only to families of four with less than a $41,000 income, and a majority (55%) had concerns that Congress’ plan might lead toward “socialized medicine.”

House Speaker Pelosi said Congress will pass a revised bill by the end of October. The House was only 13 votes short of a veto override. Democrats want a $35 Billion expansion. Bush wants $25 Billion and has recruited a team to negotiate a compromise. So, there are good prospects for a revamped S-CHIP bill.

Now is a good time to let your Congressional delegation know what you think. Senators Lugar and Bayh both voted for the pre-vetoed bill, as did Representatives Donnelly, Ellsworth, and Visclosky. Voting against it were Burton, Buyer, Hill, Pence, and Souder. Carson was absent for voting.

No Child Left Behind?

The 5-year old federal law to push and help schools achieve better student results in reading and math needs to be re-authorized and/or revised. It was one of the bills kept alive by the late-September “continuing resolution” along with most other domestic programs.

Those in favor of it or wanting to change or discontinue it are “strange bedfellows,” according to the McClatchy Washington Bureau. Education activist Johnathan Kozol is at odds with 40-year ally Sen. Ted Kennedy. The National Education Assn. has vowed to oppose reauthorization over inclusion of a performance pay provision. “Some states have threatened to opt out of NCLB, charging that the extra cost of testing causes an undue burden and that some of the law’s accountability provisions unfairly penalize them,” says the watchdog.

Americans: in their own words

Every month, Gallup pollsters ask Americans whether they are satisfied—or not—with “the way things are going in the country at this time.” Recently they said:

Satisfied with – top four responses, plus some

• Economy is going well – 32%
• U.S. better off than most countries or U.S. high standard of living – 16%
• Personal situation is good – 13%
• Jobs are plentiful/low unemployment – 12%
• Bush/leader doing a good job – 7%
• Education/school system is good – 3%

Not Satisfied with – top four responses, plus some

• War in Iraq is not going well – 23%
• Economy is doing poorly – 20%
• Healthcare issues – 13%
• Congress not doing anything – 9%
• Government has wrong priorities – 8%
• Bush is doing a poor job – 8%.

Overall, factors related to the economy made up 60% of the “satisfied” responses, with 15% on concerns with Iraq & terrorism. The “dis-satisfied” net factors were the economy (42%), government (36%), select domestic issues (27%), and Iraq (23%). The gap between “satisfied” and “dissatisfied” grew steadily from January through September, up from 28% to 43%.

Indiana at bottom of “Green” states

In a new list of America’s Greenest States, Indiana came in 49th, just a notch above last place West Virginia. Vermont was #1. The best grades went to states with low levels of carbon dioxide emissions per capita, strong policies to promote energy efficiency and high air quality, and the most buildings per capita that received the U.S. Green Building Council’s benchmark certification. Forbes said Indiana had “across the board low marks” with the 6th highest carbon footprint, 4 metro areas on the American Lung Assn’s bad smog/ozone pollution list, and 46th on water quality. Oops!

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