The ads will appear in at least 25 lawmakers' states and congressional districts. The ads do not name SCHIP specifically but commend lawmakers who supported a bill (HR 3963) that would have expanded SCHIP. President Bush vetoed the bill, citing cost concerns (Jansen, CQ HealthBeat, 9/19).
The House in January fell 15 votes short of the two-thirds majority required to override President Bush's veto of the legislation. The bill would have expanded SCHIP to cover 10 million children and increased spending on the program by $35 billion over five years, funded by a 61-cent-per-pack increase of the federal cigarette tax. It also would have limited coverage to children in families with annual incomes below 300% of the federal poverty level (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 1/24).
The ads encourage viewers to contact their lawmakers and tell them to "keep fighting to insure our kids" (CQ HealthBeat, 9/19).