Voting Against Children's Health Care
By Bd200789
@Bd200789 (2994)
United States
January 22, 2009 1:24pm CST
The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 was passed in the House of Representatives. It was to expand the program to cover 11 million children. I cannot believe my representative voted against it. How can you deny a child health care coverage? The vote was 289-139, and six didn't even vote!
If you want to see how your representative voted, go to:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=16&chamber=H&congress=1111&tally=1
3 people like this
9 responses
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
22 Jan 09
If I remember the last SCHIPS program was defeated it would have covered people with an income up to $80,000.00 and to cover children up to age 26. I would suggest that you review the bill. This sight will over whelm you if you try to understand the bill.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c111:1:./temp/~c111iiUFWv::
What you will find is that in many parts of the bill it will refer to a change in a paragraph in another law. The bill that was passed is 140 pages long, fairly short for a bill today. There is so much detail I would vote against it just because it is too long and too complicated. You can expect that when the rules are written for this program that it will be at least 10 times as long. What most congressmen are doing is taking some staffers recommendation on the bill and voting yes or no on it based on what some kid fresh out of college understands the bill to be.
My final question is could you please show me where in the US Constitution the federal government has the right to provide Health Care for children?
2 people like this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
22 Jan 09
"My final question is could you please show me where in the US Constitution the federal government has the right to provide Health Care for children?"
Well, how much did health care, such as it was back then, cost when the Constitution was written? Also, sometimes it's a matter of what's RIGHT rather than what "rights" exist.
Annie
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
23 Jan 09
Annie-How is it "right" or "fair" to make other pay for their health care? Their parents chose to have them...they are responsible for them. Maybe they could start a charity fund that people could contribute to if they wanted to pay for it....but no one should be required to pay for someone else or someone else's child. People need to learn how to take care of themselves instead of just holding their hand out and demanding everyone else's money to get what they want or need.
As a country I worry that we are loosing our sense of personal independence and self reliance...sad.
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
25 Jan 09
Health care was a personal responsibility until we got the New Deal under FDR. To control the economy he had a wage freeze, so with more jobs than workers employers had to do something to encourage workers to stay with them and not jump jobs to get more money. health insurance became a tax deduction for employers and it became a tax free increase in salary for the worker. President Johnson introduced Medicare with his Great Society and War on Poverty and it has cost us over $40 trillion dollars. Now we are being told that we need more to fight poverty. Can we afford another 50 years and Hundreds of trillions of dollars to only to find out it does not work. Most of the uninsured people are eligible for a government program or make enough money to buy their own and choose to self insure. National Health insurance is bout making people dependent on the Government.
@kareng (55137)
• United States
22 Jan 09
It certainly encourages those already on welfare with 3 or more children to go ahead and have several more. I don't think this is rational thinking. Also, the original billed called for healthcare up to age 26. Hello, I was on my own and working and providing my own healthcare at age 18. It can be done. Some people just don't want to work for the benefits--they want them handed over on a silver platter.
@alyssakenzie (462)
• United States
22 Jan 09
It is meant for people that don't have health insurance for their kids so that every kids is able to get medical care. It is not for people on welfare as they already would be qualified for coverage on their children. Where I work it would cost me around six hundred dollars a month to have my kids on my health plan and that is not affordable to me at all. If I was to pay that much than I could forget about paying all the bills. I work hard and yet my kids don't have coverage I have to pay for everything out of pocket and hope nothing severe comes up. This can help a lot of people that do work hard but are not able to afford the rising cost of insurance.
1 person likes this
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
22 Jan 09
Read the bill thoroughly before making such judgments. These bills are intentionally titled to pull at people's heartstrings. I could write a "Children's Health Care" bill that includes money for Planned Parenthood, Hamas, Conch Republic, and my local softball team. I could even throw in something about bailing out my local video store. These bills aren't a paragraph long and you should read them before making snap judgments.
@violeta_va (4831)
• Australia
23 Jan 09
I honestly dont know of the program but I am still shocked that USA has no such program. I know that I am going to be comparing 2 different things but here in Australia we all get free health care it might not be perfect but its there and when we have to pay for services we get most of our money back I am glad I live where I live because I dont have to be scared to see a doctor because I cant afford to see one. I was suprised to learn from a friend in America that an operation that I had would cost $10.000 in the USA but I had it for free and even if I had it done in private hospital it would not have costed more then $4000
@xfahctor (14118)
• Lancaster, New Hampshire
23 Jan 09
The myth that 47 million people in the u.s. have no healthcare is way over hyped. More acuratetly, it is more like, 15 million out of 300 million do not have access to health insurance
The statistic often given usualy includes 12 million ilegal aliens, people who can afford it but choose not to get it and people elegable for medicaid and other programs, but never apply.
We have a number of programs. Many of the people that this bill covers, are already coverable under medicaid.
Many hospitals and medical centers have private programs one can enroll in.
Many states have programs in addition to medicaid, available to children AND adults that you can sign up for as well.
This is just another one of those feel-good "look at what a hero I am" pieces of legislation. You'd be suprised how many in this country who DO NOT want a nationalized universal healthcare program.
@gitfiddleplayer (10362)
• United States
22 Jan 09
Do you know what the bill entails? I can see why my rep voted against it.
1 person likes this
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
23 Jan 09
Strangely enough, the two representatives from my state who usually vote oppositely, both voted for it.
I admit to having mixed feelings. All three of my children have pre-existing conditions that make getting private insurance almost impossible but on the other hand I don't know that I like the idea of people being forced to fund the health care of others.
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
23 Jan 09
You need to read the whole bill before you make your decision. After reading it I can understand why so many voted no.
