Expanding SCHIP is right thing, but also makes economic sense

(Democrat & Chronicle)

In America, every child should have a fair shot at growing up to be an astronaut, a ballet dancer, a firefighter or president of the United States. No child should be forced to give up these dreams because of health problems that could be managed or even prevented with proper care. In America, every child should have health care.

That wasn't a good enough reason for Rep. Randy Kuhl who has now voted three times against full funding for children's health.

He and others threw out numserous excuses for why they were voting against children's health care when the issue was first raised, and again when their support was needed to override President Bush's vetoes. Supporters of SCHIP revised the legislation to address those concerns.

What supporters didn't change is the scope of the effort. The latest version of the children's health insurance legislation would still cover 10 million children — all the kids already covered and 4 million more who are uninsured. That figure includes 388,689 in New York who are covered and 283,000 more.

And that is the real reason Rep. Kuhl voted against children's health insurance for the third time. He does not consider taking care of America's children a priority. He didn't want to spend the money.

That's a short-sighted view that overlooks a powerful fiscal argument for covering kids.

Prevention makes good economic sense. In today's twisted health care marketplace, it's about the only thing that does.

Fewer and fewer employers are offering health coverage to their workers, and increasingly, those who are offered health insurance at work can't afford to buy it.

A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that health insurance premiums rose at nearly double the rise in either workers' wages or inflation. Millions of working families live one broken bone or asthma attack away from financial ruin or worse, and our nation's economy is paying the price.

The health status of those enrolled in the Children's Health Insurance Program has improved. Children with coverage are having fewer asthma attacks and therefore winding up in the expensive emergency room a lot less. Studies have even shown that children enrolled in SCHIP saw a notable improvement in school performance and attendance. For education to make a difference in the life of a child, that child has to be healthy enough to show up for school and pay attention. An educated work force is vital to today's information economy.

The economic list goes on. Medical costs are responsible for as many as half the approximately 1 million personal bankruptcies filed each year. Businesses lose productivity when working parents have to stay home with sick kids. Today's unhealthy child is, without intervention, tomorrow's chronic disease patient.

The bottom line is there is no excuse for Rep. Kuhl's latest vote against children. This vote was a clear statement of values: Either you believe that health care for children is a priority, or you believe that children's health is not as important as other spending needs, such as the administration's multibillion-dollar mess in Iraq.

Rep. Kuhl has shown us where he stands — far outside the mainstream and right next to President Bush.

Sweeney is national AFL-CIO president and Bertolone is Rochester and Vicinity Labor Council president.