Senator Dave Lewis of Helena seems to only have one priority in this legislative session: voting against health care for kids. At every opportunity, he has either voted against the voter-supported initiative or to scale it back. This week, he and his Republican cohorts in the Senate Finance and Claims Committee took another whack at the program, increasing the threshold for coverage:
Sen. Dave Lewis, R-Helena, made the proposal to scale it back to cover only 15,000 additional children, by lowering the income eligibility from 250 percent of the federal poverty level to 200 percent, or $44,100 for a family of four.
Lewis said the state simply can’t afford the higher level, which was in the initiative and is now in state law. The scaled-back version is still an expansion of insurance programs, he said.
“We’re not kicking anybody off,” he said. “The program hasn’t even started yet.”
I’m sure Lewis’s rationalization about not kicking anyone will offer real comfort to parents unable to afford medical care for their children.
What’s so astonishing cynical about these proposals is that the Republicans who are voting against funding CHIP know that these costs will not just vanish. People will take care of their children, either with inadequate treatment that will increase long term healthcare costs, or by taking their children to the emergency room, driving up costs across the board.
Montana voters have spoken, Senator Lewis. It’s not the task of Montana Republicans to argue that the voters didn’t know what they were doing, but to find a way to sustainably fund the program.
Article by Don Pogreba
Don has written 1332 posts for us. He is an English and debate teacher in Helena, MT. When not writing here or working on debate handbooks, he is writing about educational issues at Prairie Pedagogue.
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Dave Lewis is losing it. When he was working for the state he had standards and was a competent and respected public employee. Since he began running for public office he has surrendered to political expediency and now adheres to the lowest common denominator. Not the first or the last, but Shame On You, Dave.
I don't understand it. It seems like this is a purely ideological crusade, wrapped up in the appearance of policy concern.
Perhaps if people understood the ramification of bankrupting our state they would understand where Lewis is coming from. Also, if a single mom of four kids is working a full time job that offers health insurance to her family and is on Chip, she has to get off Chip and onto the company plan, even if it costs her the entire paycheck. Basically, what LOOB will do is not offer insurance for families thus forcing families to use Chip then by the end of 2012, the state will be bankrupt with no families having insurance.
That is the kind of economic thinking that conservatives are known for. How, exactly, would CHIP bankrupt the state?
Maybe Republicans should stop pushing tax breaks (like Roy Brown's insane plan to eliminate the business tax) before they talk too loudly about fiscal responsibility.
This is a sensible, moderate policy that will improve the health of our kids and the financial stability of families. Why are Republicans obsessed with cutting this voter-approved initiative?
Re: Julia – "Also, if a single mom of four kids is working a full time job that offers health insurance to her family and is on Chip, she has to get off Chip and onto the company plan, even if it costs her the entire paycheck."
Uh Julia, if a SINGLE mother uses her ENTIRE paycheck for health insurance, what the HELL is she going to use for rent, food, clothing etc? Go on welfare?