Kid’s Health Insurance Set to Expire End of Month, Lawmakers to Meet
Lawmakers in the House and Senate are expected to meet today to begin discussions over their differences regarding the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) which is set to expert on September 30.
The Democrats’ objective is to resolve this before the deadline and send a bill to President Bush, who threatened a veto.
It is widely expected that the House will shift in the Senate’s direction in its final agreement, with an agreement on a higher tobacco-tax increase and dropping Medicare provisions until a later time. However, the House, which passed an additional $50 billion in funds for CHIP, may insist that the Senate agree to more spending than the $35 billion it passed.
“We’re not going to accept $35 (billion),” House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel of New York said in a briefing with reporters on Friday.
Democrats in both chambers see hope for broad support of a tobacco tax increase higher than the 45 cents per pack of cigarettes the House passed. The Senate passed a 61 cent increase to offset the full cost of the children’s health program growth.
Published on September 11, 2007
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