Guess Who's Back... Back Again

The House just took another stab at S-CHIP legislation, and passed it out with 265 votes. The veto override got 273, so that sounds like a step backwards. I don't think so. Ten Democrats didn't vote, and all of them can be expected to vote yes. 43 Republicans voted with the Democrats, which is I think one more than before. The point is the cosmetic changes to the bill did little to get Republicans on board. But they had to vote against kids' health care, again, and take a stand on an issue where Democrats are favored by a 2:1 margin.

Democratic ideas for fixing the healthcare system to cover the uninsured enjoy more support among Americans than proposals coming from Republicans, a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll shows [...]

Two of the main proposals advanced by Democrats received majority support in the poll.

Sixty-two percent said they supported requiring large employers to help pay for coverage whereas 31% opposed it. And 51% said they favored a mandate that individuals purchase health insurance, much as drivers are required to carry auto coverage; 39% disagreed.

Tax breaks to make insurance more affordable -- a leading Republican idea -- more closely divided the public, with 44% backing that approach and 45% opposing it.

In one of the most politically significant results, the poll finds that independents and moderates were generally lining up with Democrats in the healthcare debate.

A lot of California Republicans didn't vote today, as many were back home in their districts surveying fire damage. If they bothered to talk to anyone in the state, they would know that the Healthy Families program (as S-CHIP is known in California) is about to go broke and requires "emergency measures" to stay afloat. On November 17, the money will dry up, and the options are severely limited. As many as 830,000 kids could become disenrolled if the program is forced to shut down.

That's what's really at stake in this debate. It's a political issue, but a personal one as well. More often than not, the political IS personal. What our representatives decide has a major impact on how we live. They need to do right by children.