7-10-07, 12:11 pm

If the Bush administration's refusal to acknowledge growing public anger over the war in Iraq, congressional investigations of its questionable activities, increasing international isolation, and a growing revolt in GOP ranks weren't enough, the White House has decided to pick on America's children.

According to various media reports, the Bush administration is fighting to block a Democratic proposal to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP), a federal program that provides health care insurance to low-income families for their children.

The Democratic proposal is aimed at making a partial fix of the health care crisis facing the country. Of the 47 million people who lack health care coverage in the US, approximately one-fifth, or close to 10 million, are children, according to US Census data. Uncounted millions more have only partial and inadequate coverage.

The Democratic plan would expand the program to cover several million children who lack health insurance.

Despite politically biased criticism of the exposé of the health care crisis in Michael Moore's recent documentary 'Sicko,' most observers have agreed with Moore that the health care system is failing and more needs to be done to provide more and better coverage.

But the Bush administration's ideological hang-ups with universal coverage is blocking progress on this issue, and children are suffering as a result.

S-CHIP is a popular and successful program that provided coverage for about 7 million children in 2006, and has even helped reign in some medical costs. S-CHIP won bipartisan support in 1996 as part of the push for 'welfare reform,' replacing some welfare programs.

The White House claims the program 'erodes private insurance' and is 'a step toward government-run health care.' The administration has even openly stated that its objections to S-CHIP are ideological. The Bush administration believes that health care profits for insurance, pharmaceutical, and medical corporations are far more important than children's health.

But the question it can't answer, is why, if private insurance is so much more efficient and beneficial, can't it provide affordable coverage for millions of children? (The unstated answer, of course, is that children, whose families can't afford expensive premiums, with their constant need for medical care, shots, check-ups, care for childhood diseases and injuries, are as almost an unprofitable insurance pool as chronically ill people. It's a shame that a profit-driven system is allowed to hurt so many people.)

But because private industry doesn't want to be seen as hurting children's health, it has joined with a broad array of health care advocates to support the expansion of the program, over Bush administration objections.

It is time for the White House to shut up and support children's health care or at least get out of the way.

--Joel Wendland is managing editor of Political Affairs and can be reached at jwendland@politicalaffairs.net.