Cantwell defends SCHIP at Sacred Heart

The effort to override a presidential veto of a children’s health insurance program brought a U.S. senator and local health care professionals to Sacred Heart Medical Center on Friday morning.

Sen. Maria Cantwell said President Bush didn’t understand the challenge most Americans face over health care when he vetoed an expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, commonly called SCHIP, earlier this month.

“We’re trying to send a message across America, trying to override this veto,” Cantwell, D-Wash., told a couple dozen adults and three children gathered in Children’s Hospital’s clubhouse.

The adults applauded; the children were more interested in their hand-held video games than anything the grown-ups had to say.

Bush said he vetoed the bill because Congress expanded the popular program too far, making it too expensive by offering benefits to people above the poverty level. He’s offered to talk about a compromise, but the House of Representatives has scheduled a vote for next Thursday to try to override the veto.

If the override fails, Cantwell predicted Congress would keep attaching the proposal to other legislation, “to keep moving it back to the president’s desk.”

Peg Hopkins, executive director of the Community Health Association of Spokane, said that organization’s clinics see new patients every day who are children without health insurance. Peggy Mangiaracina, of the Children’s Hospital, said Sacred Heart has seen a 100 percent increase in uncompensated care for children without health insurance.

Jim Connor, a construction worker with sons aged 11 and 9, said he is working more steadily this year but still doesn’t have enough at the end of most months to cover health care after paying his mortgage, utilities and other expenses. If he weren’t working, his children would be eligible for health insurance under another program, but because he’s working they’re not, Connor said.

Cantwell’s staff said about 38,000 more children would be covered by the expanded SCHIP system in Washington state. There are thousands, however, who are eligible for health insurance under the existing guidelines and haven’t been signed up because their parents don’t know about it, health officials said.