The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was originally created to help provide health insurance for children in low-income families who did not fall below the poverty line (eligible for Medicaid) but whose incomes were less than $40,000 a year.
Not surprisingly, the program has expanded to include more than just children and more than just the very poor. There is great fear that this year's reauthorization of SCHIP could drastically expand the number of people eligible to receive funds which would increase government dependency among America's families. Many feel this proposed SCHIP expansion is a dangerous step toward government-controlled universal health care (similar to 1990's Hillarycare). If implemented, this expansion would make as many as 71% of American children eligible for this entitlement which would no doubt draw many away from successful private-sector insurers. In fact some families considered wealthy enough to qualify for the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) would also be eligible for "low-income" SCHIP health care for their children - that means a family earning $80,000 is considered too "poor" for private health care but too "rich" for regular tax rates.
Additionally, there are two pro-family concerns with SCHIP. First, while federal SCHIP funds are prohibited from paying for abortions; state and local governments are not prohibited from using SCHIP programs to provide contraceptives or sterilizations in some cases. Second, language should be added that would allow unborn children to receive medical care under SCHIP. A guideline instituted by the Bush administration in 2002 allows states to cover the unborn under SCHIP, but there have been efforts to allow SCHIP funds only for “pregnant mothers” and not for the “unborn.” Liberals prefer this language because it does not undermine their belief that the unborn have no right to life and could, in some cases, allow pregnant mothers to receive money for abortions. Language should be introduced which codifies the important Bush guideline.
Congress must fix these troubling loopholes when it reauthorizes SCHIP funding. Hopefully, amendments will be proposed to the SCHIP reauthorization bill which would recognize the humanity of the unborn by making sure they are eligible for SCHIP support, inform parents that they are forfeiting certain parental rights when they use SCHIP programs, and prevent an unhealthy and wasteful expansion of the program itself.
The Heritage Foundation has produced many helpful reports on SCHIP, three particularly helpful ones can be read by clicking here, here, or here.