Veto stands on plan for child health care

WASHINGTON – The failure by House lawmakers to break a stalemate over children’s health-care legislation Thursday marked another partisan standoff between Congress and the White House and underscored how difficult it will be to reform the larger insurance system, even though it is a national priority.

Insuring children was considered the easiest part of the health-reform challenge because they are cheaper to cover and public support for doing so is high.

But the debate bogged down on two key questions also at the heart of broader health reforms to cover the 47 million uninsured: costs and the role of government in helping middle-class families, not just the poor.

President Bush earlier this month vetoed a measure expanding a popular program that provides health insurance for children of the working poor. As expected, Thursday’s attempt to override his veto failed. The White House and some leading proponents of the legislation immediately urged negotiations on a compromise to extend the popular program, which serves about 6 million children. But, after a House debate that turned acrimonious, it remained unclear whether they would find common ground.

The impasse in Washington has repercussions for states that administer the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, as the federal-state partnership is called. It originally was designed to cover children whose parents earned too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford private insurance.

Funding for the program was set to expire Sept. 30, but Congress and the president extended it through mid-November to try to resolve their differences.

Bush has designated Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, Office of Management and Budget director Jim Nussle, and economic adviser Al Hubbard to negotiate with Congress. Leavitt said the president wanted to prevent any disruptions in coverage. But the two sides seem far apart.

The congressional bill, a compromise between Democrats and leading Senate Republicans, called for spending $60 billion over five years to cover about 10 million children.

To finance the expanded coverage for children, the congressional bill would have sharply raised tobacco taxes.

For comparison, Bush has proposed spending $30 billion over five years.