Bush makes right move vetoing plan

bill would allocate $35 billion over the next five years to the SCHIP program. It seemingly is good, but I think people are not understanding the exact results the bill will have.

ROBERT KALLWASS

STAFF WRITER RHK722@CABRINI EDU

On Oct. 3, President Bush vetoed a very popular bill supporting the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. The SCHIP program gives the children of poor families health insurance. Each state has its own regulations on eligibility for the program.

Bush was right to make the decision because the bill needs to be reworked. It got easily swept up with popularity because it is to help poor children. The

The idea of the SCHIP program is to help children of poor families, the extra money does not necessarily mean that more children would be aided. I do believe that more will be able to get help, but it is not regulated the right way.

The extra money will allow for families with up to 300 percent of the poverty level income to be eligible for the aid. I think it would be important to keep it at 200 percent maximum, and then the extra money would go to aiding more of the poorer children as opposed to slightly wealthier ones. If first all of those below the poverty level can be taken care of, then they can start moving up to 200 or 300 percent of the poverty level income families.

Bush addresses this when explaining his choice to veto the bill. The intentions of the SCHIP program are being changed around.

It is increasingly leaning more and more towards federal health care system. Bush is against federal health care, I do not agree with this, but I do think it is a good idea to put this off, the bill needs a lot of reworking, and the SCHIP should not be the ones to undertake so much health insurance. The program was meant as an aid to families in poverty, and no more.

I support Federal Health