WASHINGTON — The House is poised to give Barack Obama a quick legislative victory by approving a bill to expand a health insurance program for children, placing a down payment on the president- elect’s promise to provide coverage to every child in the country.
The bill, scheduled for a vote today, would expand the State Children’s Health Insurance program, a popular initiative created during the Clinton administration that targets children living at or near the poverty line who fall outside the Medicaid system.
The House bill carries an estimated cost of $33 billion over four and a half years and would extend coverage to an additional 4.1 million children on top of the 7 million children currently enrolled. It would be paid for primarily through a 61 cents-per-pack increase in the federal cigarette tax.
In 2007, President Bush twice vetoed similar legislation, objecting to its broader reach and reliance on the tobacco tax hike. His position was cheered by conservatives but caused political problems in 2008 for GOP candidates.
The remaining sticking point concerns newly arrived legal immigrant children and pregnant women. These individuals are required to wait five years before applying for coverage. The House version gives states the option of allowing legal immigrants into the program.
