Republican politicians love to talk about the sanctity of life, specifically kids’life, until supporting it may reduce tax break for their corporate masters. We must not forget the failure of the tax-cut-scam.
Protect Our Care released the following.
Gambling With Kids’ Coverage A New Lowlight in 210 House Republicans’ War on Health Care
Washington, DC – After 210 House Republicans voted to slash $7 billion from the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to patch up record deficits being inflicted by the tax breaks they gave to big corporations, Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:
“Until recently, the CHIP program earned broad bipartisan support; after all, what kind of person would oppose health care for children? Then, Donald Trump decided to make kids’ health coverage a political football, proposing billions of dollars in cuts, which over 500 prominent national and local organizations oppose. Tonight, 210 House Republicans voted to cut CHIP anyway, selling out thousands of kids in their districts. Republicans are right to fear Americans’ wrath over their irresponsible tax bill, which blew a $1.3 trillion hole in the deficit, but gambling with kids’ coverage to pay for tax breaks is a new lowlight in Republicans’ war on our care.”
Experts Slam CHIP Cuts
Lisa Shapiro, Families USA: “Contrary to the title of the bill and statements from the Trump administration and Republican leadership, the CHIP Contingency Fund is neither expired nor unnecessary. It is exactly what the name says it is: a contingency fund that was created to ensure stability in CHIP and to provide flexibility for states to protect their children.” [6.7.18]
Bruce Lesley, First Focus: “It is critically important to understand that CHIP is financed with a block grant, and therefore, it fails to adjust for economic recessions, epidemics, medical inflation, or natural disasters which all threaten the health of children. Consequently, in the program’s early years, states repeatedly faced funding shortfalls and responded by imposing waiting lists and enrollment freezes upon children without regard to their health status or medical condition. In recognition of the fact that waiting periods and enrollment freezes threatened the lives and well-being of children, Congress revamped CHIP’s financing in a number of ways, including the creation of the Child Enrollment Contingency Fund in 2009.” [5.25.18]