Adam Searing, Progressive Pulse

Senator Elizabeth Dole is obviously worried about the widespread criticism of her vote last year against more affordable health insurance for children (SCHIP). Is she reconsidering joining the bipartisan effort to lower health costs for kids in NC families? Of course not. She’s introducing a child health bill that actually rolls back coverage in NC, will never draw the bipartisan support needed for passage, and is simply for her to be able to mention on the campaign trail in what is clearly going to be a tough election year. Dole may argue that her bill requires poor children to be funded first. However, she voted against child health coverage twice – and the second time against a compromise bill that clearly concentrated most of the new money coming to states on lower-income children.

Here’s what’s wrong with Dole’s actions:

1. Dole’s bill doesn’t treat our kids as she treats herself.

As a US Senator, Ms. Dole enjoys a wonderful choice of taxpayer-subsidized comprehensive health insurance plans for both herself and her family. She can visit a well-staffed health clinic right in the Capitol building – for free – should she have a headache or otherwise feel ill. An entire floor of a nearby world-class government hospital is set aside for the exclusive use of Senator Dole and other members of Congress. In contrast, Dole’s suggestions for how hundreds of thousands of uninsured children in “her” state are to obtain healthcare are inadequate, underfunded, and far less than comprehensive. When will Senator Dole be ready to provide the same healthcare she gets to every child in North Carolina?

2. Dole’s bill doesn’t even provide enough money to run NC’s current Health Choice program.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, in a quick first look at the bill, estimates that we will fall short of federal money in 2013.

3. Dole’s bill blocks NC’s new discount child health insurance plan for working families – NC Kids’ Care.

Dole sets unreasonable and unrealistic participation requirements in the current NC Health Choice program coupled with inadequate funding for insuring new children – either in NC Health Choice or NC Kids’ Care. Dole’s Catch 22 is this: To expand child health coverage as NC wants to do, the state must enroll more children in NC Health Choice, but NC is not provided with enough new federal money to enroll more kids in NC Health Choice.

4. Dole’s bill would mean much less money for North Carolina.

Under last year’s bipartisan bill passed by Congress but vetoed by President Bush (and voted against by both Senators Dole and Burr), North Carolina would have received hundreds of millions of dollars in new funding to deliver health coverage for kids currently eligible but not enrolled in NC child health programs. Currently, NC’s new proposed discount health insurance plan for working parents who don’t qualify for NC Health Choice, may well be prevented from starting operation because of newly limited federal funding. Dole’s bill – even if it passed – would do nothing to change this because the funding levels are so low they don’t even keep up with kids who are currently eligible for health coverage.