This is the second time in a month an official from the bush administration has written a LTTE in my local paper defending bush. Is this their job or are they supposed to ADMINISTER programs?
Children’s health program
Regarding The Star’s Sept. 20 editorial on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (“Provide more funding for uninsured children”): President Bush strongly supports SCHIP to help children whose families cannot afford private health insurance but do not qualify for Medicaid. Since February, he has been calling for a 20 percent increase in funding.
Unfortunately, some in Congress want to expand this important safety net far beyond its purpose to cover middle-class families, some earning more than $80,000 per year.
We have a better idea. Let’s find and enroll the 800,000 kids already eligible for SCHIP who haven’t signed up. Then let’s make health insurance more affordable.
For starters, President Bush wants to give every American family a tax break for purchasing health insurance by exempting $15,000 of the family’s income from payroll and income taxes. According to the Lewin Group, this would allow nearly 20 million more Americans to obtain health insurance.
The administration is committed to working with Congress to renew SCHIP for the truly needy and make health coverage more affordable and available.
Tevi D. Troy
Deputy secretary, U.S. Department of Health
and Human Serviceshttp://www.kansascity.com/309/story/302102.html