Tuesday, August 19, 2008

SCHIP Expansion Gets More Expensive

By Peter Nelson

Categories: SCHIP

Congressional Quarterly reports that SCHIP expansion just got a little more expensive, a fact that may influence whether Democrats choose to hold a vote on the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act in September. Because the Congressional Budget Office now estimates the proposed expansion will cost another $1.6 billion, the bill is no longer compliant with pay-as-you-go rules. Consequently, the bill will need some tweaking—cover fewer kids or raise more revenue—before it can be considered. CQ seems to think this may have “stymied” Democrats hopes of voting to expand SCHIP in September. Can an additional $1.6 billion on top of legislation already costing $35 billion really slow down the push to expand SCHIP? I'm skeptical.