ENZI SAYS IT’S TIME TO MOVE FORWARD ON WORKABLE CHILDREN’S HEALTH CARE BILL

Washington, D.C. – After the House of Representatives voted today to upholdPresident Bush’s veto of a flawed Democrat children’s health bill, U.S. Senator MikeEnzi (R-WY), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions(HELP) Committee, urged leaders in both parties to continue on the path toward a“workable, realistic, inclusive” children’s health care package, like the proposal heoffered two weeks ago. “I think most of us understand that any plan that takes children already privatelycovered and transfers them to a federal program is a bad idea. I also think mostAmericans want our focus to be on low-income children. Hopefully this vote will bringDemocrats back to the table, so we pass a bill we can all support. We don’t have that farto go, and I’ve co-sponsored a bill that can bridge the gap and help children,” said Enzi.“If we are willing to hang up the gloves and suspend the politicking, even briefly, we canreach an agreement on a good bill the President can sign.” Enzi and a group of Republican Senators offered their own “workable, realisticand inclusive” children’s health care package on Oct. 4. The bill, the Kids First Act, S.2152, would address health insurance to cover low-income children under the age of 19and pregnant mothers, not middle income families or adults. The new plan would spendabout $40 billion over the next five years. “Poor children must have health insurance,” Enzi said. “Our compromise billwould provide federal funding for children in need and require that the money actually bespent on children from families with lower incomes. We focus our bill on needy childrento ensure that all eligible children under the age of 19 have access to health insurance.” ####