Child Insurance Blog

Congress has proposed a 61 cent tax increase on the price of cigarettes aimed to fund the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.? The program is set to expire in September and currently insures 7.1 million people.? As of right now, there is a 39 cent tax on cigarettes and the proposal would move that number to $1 overall.? This proposed measure should add $50 billion dollars to the CHIP’s budget raising it to $75 billion overall.? The White House has already stated that President Bush will likely veto the bill.? This will derail six months of bipartisan negotiations that have created this proposed legislation.

What are your thoughts on this situation?? Should President Bush veto this child health insurance bill?

For further reading you can refer to The Washington Post, The New York Times, and/or The Cincinnati Post.