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Urge Congress to Stop a Massive Expansion of Government Health Care

by: the american conservative union | published: 01 14, 2009

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Liberals in Congress have decided their first order of business will be to pass tax and spend bills vetoed by President Bush in 2007 and 2008. This week the House will vote on a major expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). H.R.2, the SCHIP expansion bill, will not only increase spending on the program by $35 billion and again raise taxes but has other provisions that are even worse than the bills Bush vetoed.

TAKE ACTION RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW TO STOP THIS MASSIVE EXPANSION OF ANOTHER GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTH CARE PROGRAM

PUTTING POOR CHILDREN LAST:

This program was designed to help poor children not eligible for Medicaid to access health care, but congressional liberals have distorted the program to expand government-run health care. Many states used these funds for adults and families with incomes from $60,000 to $80,000 per year. Poor children were left uncovered when the funds ran out. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) told the states that before covering other population groups they must certify that 95% of eligible poor children are covered under the program. This directive is repealed by H.R.2, the SCHIP expansion bill.

STOP THIS BACK DOOR EXPANSION OF GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTH CARE. RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW. TELL YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS TO VOTE "NO" ON H.R.2!

A TAX ON THE WORKING POOR:

H.R.2, the SCHIP expansion bill, also includes a 156 percent increase in the federal excise tax on tobacco. Liberals in Congress claim they only want to tax the "rich." Instead this bill raises what the Congressional Research Service called "one of the most regressive taxes-a tax that falls more heavily on lower income individuals." In fact, 55 percent of smokers are working poor. During the presidential debate on October 7, President-Elect Obama said this: "If you make less than a quarter of a million dollars a year, you will not see a single dime of your taxes go up." The passage of H.R.2 will be the first violation of that pledge.

Even in liberal Oregon, voters in 2007 overwhelmingly rejected a measure to use cigarette taxes to pay for children's health care. Voters there understood that this was a bad idea, that it would not cover the cost of the program and that the money, as is often the case with government, would be used to fund other programs.

ELIMINATING THE IMMIGRATION WAITING PERIOD:

H.R.2 goes even further than the bill vetoed by President Bush. Since 1996, there has been a five year waiting period for legal immigrants to be eligible for these types of government programs. Unlike the vetoed bill, this legislation eliminates that waiting period.

GO HERE AND TAKE ACTION TO STOP THIS EXPANSION OF GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTH CARE. CONTACT YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS AND URGE THEM TO VOTE "NO" ON H.R.2, THE SCHIP EXPANSION BILL.

We at the American Conservative Union thank you for all you do to advance conservative free-market principles.