The Administration’s Dubious Claims about the Emerging Children’s Health Insurance Legislation: Myth and Reality

Publication Date: July 2007

Publisher: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (Washington, D.C.)

Author(s): Robert Greenstein

Research Area: Health

Keywords: Economic projections; Health insurance; Health care costs; Federal budget

Type: Report

Abstract:

The Bush Administration, however, is characterizing the children’s health insurance legislation being developed in Congress as a big-government approach that would pave the way for socialized medicine, do little for low-income children, and primarily shift people with good incomes from private health care coverage to government health insurance at taxpayers’ expense. These characterizations were evident on June 27 at White House events featuring the President, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt, and White House National Economic Council director Al Hubbard, and again on July 10 and July 14 when the White House announced it would veto the emerging SCHIP legislation. The principal charges being leveled against the emerging Senate and House SCHIP legislation reflect distortions, misuse of data, and false claims. This papers considers some of the principal distortions as articulated by Secretary Leavitt and Mr. Hubbard at their June 27 White House press conference and reiterated since.