Strickland Condemns Bush Veto of Health Insurance Expansion

WASHINGTON — Gov. Ted Strickland went before his old House subcommittee Tuesday and accused President Bush of threatening the health care insurance of tens of thousands of poor people in Ohio even as the economy worsens.

The Democratic governor said Bush is trying to "thwart the will of Congress" and cut back coverage for low income families under Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

He urged Congress to overturn a Bush administration directive issued Aug. 17 that he said would eliminate health insurance coverage for 20,000 otherwise uninsured children in Ohio and to reject proposed budget cuts in Medicaid.

"Ohio is currently facing tough economic times and Ohio families are struggling with the increased costs of food, energy and other everyday expenses," Strickland testified. "For these struggling families, Medicaid or SCHIP provides a lifeline that most could not do without."

Strickland testified before the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health, where he was a member before being elected to be governor. He appeared on a panel with Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat; Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, a Republican; Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire, a Democrat; and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, a Republican. The governors were unanimous in urging Congress and the president to come together and renew the children's insurance program.

Republicans in the House have twice sustained Bush's veto of an expansion of SCHIP that was passed by both the House and Senate. Bush said the legislation extends the coverage beyond the initial focus on children of the working poor and encourages middle-class families to switch from private health insurance to the government program.

But subcommittee chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., accused Bush of waging "ideological warfare" and having "ignored the needs of hardworking American families."

"I hope that Congress will continue to press this issue until the program is reauthorized," Strickland said.

But even under the continuing SCHIP, he said, the Bush administration is trying to "scuttle the carefully developed and negotiated bipartisan agreements" that state legislatures have worked out under the program. SCHIP provides coverage for children from low-income families who are poor enough to qualify for Medicaid.

Strickland and the other governors complained about a directive issued on Aug. 17 that said a state would have to prove that it had enrolled 95 percent of its children who are eligible for Medicaid and SCHIP in families at twice the poverty level — an income of $42,400 a year or below for a family of four — before providing any coverage above 250 percent of the federal poverty level.

This directive would cut off coverage for 20,000 children in Ohio whose families earn between $42,400 and $63,000 and are eligible under the state's program, which includes children from families with incomes up to three times the federal poverty level, Strickland said.

The governors said it would be hard to get 95 percent participation and hard to document it even if they did.

"This is a voluntary program," pointed out Perdue. "You cannot force parents to participate."

Strickland also protested cuts and changes that the Bush administration wants to make in the federal participation in Medicaid.

With Ohio's economy "struggling," the need for both unemployment compensation and Medicaid are increasing, the governor said. He charged that the Bush administration was attempting to exceed its authority and urged Congress to step in and stop this power grab.