House panel advances SCHIP reauthorization bill

Republicans slightly delay $75 billion legislation while releasing their own $36.5 billion version.

By Doug Trapp, AMNews staff. Aug. 13, 2007.

Washington -- The House debate on reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program turned partisan as Republicans cried foul over their limited opportunity to review the legislation before two committee votes.

But their delaying tactics were unable to keep the bill from moving out of one committee. The measure would add $50 billion to SCHIP over five years, bringing total program funding to $75 billion for that period.

It also would provide 0.5% payment increases for physicians in Medicare in both 2008 and 2009, instead of the 9.9% and 5% reductions predicted under current law.

President Bush threatened to veto the bill, and House Republicans entered the debate by offering SCHIP legislation. Their measure would add about $11.5 billion to the program, for a funding total of $36.5 billion over five years.

The Energy and Commerce Committee and Ways and Means Committee were scheduled to vote on the Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act of 2007, as the Democrats' bill is formally known, on July 26. But only the Ways and Means panel approved the measure, in a 24-17, party-line vote.

Energy and Commerce Chair John Dingell (D, Mich.) adjourned his committee without a vote late on July 27 because the bill faced further stalling by GOP lawmakers.

Republicans in both committees, upset that they had about 36 hours to review the 465-page bill, used parliamentary tactics to require that the entire bill be read aloud before a vote could be taken. In Energy and Commerce, that required about 18 hours when combined with delays for House votes and numerous interjections and verbal volleying from members of both parties.