House Dems pushing for expansion of children’s health benefit program

WASHINGTON A bill to extend health insurance benefits to some 10 million low-income children — including 4 million who currently have no coverage — appears likely to gain passage in a Democratic-controlled Congress well before current benefits are set to expire March 31.

The New York Times reported Monday that lawmakers are poised to pass legislation extending and expanding the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, which currently covers some 6.6 million low-income children. A vote on the bill could come in the House of Representatives this week; Democratic Sen. Max Baucus of Montana has drawn up a similar bill in the Senate.

The House bill would expand benefits to another four million uninsured kids, according to reports in the Times and elsewhere, including children of legal immigrants who are barred under current law from Medicaid orSCHIP until they’ve resided in the United States for at least five years. Many Democratic leaders in the House and Senate, as well as President-elect Barack Obama, have voiced support for expanding the benefit program to include more uninsured children.

The SCHIP program has long been a source of rancor between Democrats and Pres. George Bush, who has proposed spending cuts for the program in has most recent budget proposals despite campaign pledges in 2004 calling for an expansion of health coverage to low-income children. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic leader of the House, Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, have both come out in support of the expansion.