'Compromise' SCHIP Deal Substitutes Ideology for Co...( WASHINGTON Sept. 25 -- The follo...),Health

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released today by the Office of Republican Whip Roy Blunt:

Later tonight, the House of Representatives is expected to vote on a "compromise" SCHIP bill that weakens citizenship verification standards for illegal immigrants and uses budgetary gimmicks to capture new revenue -- all while increasing taxes and pushing people off private insurance and onto government-run health care. Here's just a sample of some of the more egregious elements of this bill:

Increases Taxpayer Liability for Illegal Immigrants

-- The bill allows illegal aliens to receive Medicaid by weakening

citizenship verification standards. Social Security Commissioner

Michael Astrue confirmed that the procedures outlined in the Senate

passed bill -- and included in the "compromise" bill -- will not

prevent an illegal alien from fraudulently using another person's

name and Social Security number to obtain Medicaid or SCHIP

benefits. (September 24, 2007 letter from SSA)

-- The "compromise" bill also gives states the option to enroll

individuals in SCHIP who qualify for other welfare benefits, via an

"express lane" process. An individual who therefore qualifies for

child care programs by attesting to his legal status in the country

may also be enrolled in SCHIP without any additional verification.

Budget Gimmickry: Cuts SCHIP Spending by 80 percent in FY2013

-- In an effort to hide $40 billion in spending, the bill cuts SCHIP

funding by approximately 80 percent in Fiscal Year (FY) 2013.

Of course supporters of the "compromise" bill do not intend to cut

SCHIP by an 80 percent reduction, forcing millions of children off

the program. So the real cost of the proposal is likely more than

$110 billion (over 10 years). The bill more than doubles the cost

of th
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