Bush Administration Plays Fast And Loose With Kid's Health

Press Release

BUSH ADMINISTRATION PLAYS FAST AND LOOSE WITH KIDS' HEALTH

As the deadline to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) approaches, the Bush Administration continues to play fast and loose with the facts on kids health despite the overwhelming success of the program. Energy and Commerce Committee Vice-Chairman Diana DeGette (D-CO) today challenged the Bush Administration to adequately fund this program and start putting the facts before politics on the issue of kids' health.

"President Bush uses his own twisted version of fiction by playing fast and loose with the facts when he talks about the state of the children's health care program," said U.S. Rep. DeGette. "The Bush Administration's rhetoric doesn't match its current policy. The facts speak for themselves: SCHIP has reduced the number of uninsured children since its creation 10 years ago. We must build upon its success, not simply put up a roadblock.

"I am mystified that the Bush Administration would oppose an expansion to this time-tested program created with bipartisan support - the Administration itself has repeatedly granted state SCHIP waivers to allow adult coverage. If President Bush chooses to veto the expansion of this program - a program his own Administration has supported - it is a terrible misjudgment," concluded DeGette.

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