skippy the bush kangaroo

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

no child left healthy

awol doesn't want kids to have insurance. nytimes:

the bush administration, continuing its fight to stop states from expanding the popular children’s health insurance program, has adopted new standards that would make it much more difficult for new york, california and others to extend coverage to children in middle-income families.

administration officials outlined the new standards in a letter sent to state health officials on friday evening, in the middle of a month-long congressional recess. in interviews, they said the changes were aimed at returning the children’s health insurance program to its original focus on low-income children and to make sure the program did not become a substitute for private health coverage.

after learning of the new policy, some state officials said today that it could cripple their efforts to cover more children by imposing standards that could not be met.

the poverty level for a family of four is $20,650 in annual income. new york now covers children in families with income up to 250 percent of the poverty level. the state legislature has passed a bill that would raise the limit to 400 percent of the poverty level — $82,600 for a family of four — but the change is subject to federal approval.

california wants to increase its income limit to 300 percent of the poverty level, from 250 percent. pennsylvania recently raised its limit to 300 percent, from 200 percent. new jersey has had a limit of 350 percent for more than five years.
it always amazes us that the mantra about iraq from the right goes something like "how can you lefties want to leave those poor iraqis, when they are in danger?"

yet the right has no compunction whatsoever in leaving americans in danger.

addendum: joe gandelman at the moderate voice discusses.

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posted by skippy at 8:45 AM |

1 Comments:

But most of those children are brown or yellow or red and that makes Republican Jesus cry... how dare you tax Republican Jesus's little white children for the benefit of those... those... untermenschen!

- Badtux the Snarky Penguin
commented by Blogger BadTux, 3:04 PM PDT  

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