Senate Proceeding on Oct 31st, 2007 :: 3:22:25 to 3:32:52
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3:06:56 to 3:22:25( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Tom Coburn

3:22:08 to 3:22:25( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Coburn: eliminate and pay, we would have a balanced budget, and we wouldn't be charging the very thing that we're getting ready to pass, on to our kids. which is a $300 billion deficit this year alone. so,

3:22:25 to 3:22:38( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: really caring about kids mean you will make the tough choices and go against the interest groups to do what's right for the future, not what's best for the next election. with that, i yield the floor.

3:22:25 to 3:32:52( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Robert P. Casey, Jr.

3:22:38 to 3:22:54( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: mr. casey: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from pennsylvania. mr. casey: mr. president, i think on the democratic side we may be out of time. on the republican side there's time

3:22:54 to 3:23:09( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: left and i'm asking for unanimous consent to borrow some of the republican time. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. casey: thank you. i thank the senator from oklahoma. mr. president,

3:23:09 to 3:23:21( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: i have a limited period of time but i wanted to highlight a couple of things about the state children's health insurance program legislation. all america knows about it. we have debated this for weeks and will

3:23:21 to 3:23:35( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: continue to debate it. there are obviously differences of opinion about what to do about health care generally but i'm going to focus on one argument made against this, that, somehow, if theederal government

3:23:35 to 3:23:49( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: conditions the health insurance program and adds funding for it, an overwhelming vote in the senate several times -- i think we will have that again today, veto-proof endorsement of the program --

3:23:49 to 3:24:03( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: the dollars to back it up by an increase in the cigarette tax, but what's been debated back and forth is the coverage and who gets covered and who don't. people across america have heard a lot about

3:24:03 to 3:24:24( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: 200% or 300% of poverty, these numbers are thrown around. 200% of poverty means a family of four is making $41,300. most. families covered by this program would continue to be covered or would be

3:24:24 to 3:24:41( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: added to the coverage are in that range. and below 200% of poverty. i just want to put a chart up that walks through this in terms of a family. if we look at 32 states, we've got about 32 states that

3:24:41 to 3:24:58( Edit History Discussion )

set the income elgibility for the children's health insurance program at 200% of poverty. of course, 201, that would be one percent point above that. say a state does not allow and the federal government

3:24:58 to 3:25:21( Edit History Discussion )

will not allow states to go above 200% of poverty. here is what families face. getting by on $41,507 in pennsylvania in a rural county. if you look at a family of four with two children, take

3:25:21 to 3:25:34( Edit History Discussion )

home income is $28,093 and then the costs: housing, $726; child care $1,129 and with a credit you have a big number. $609 for food, and $446 for transportation, phone service is $45. total, $29,055.

3:25:34 to 3:25:49( Edit History Discussion )

that is their expense. you add the number from top, the income level, the monthly income, and the differential between the income and the expenses you get a minus of $62. just say that is off by a couple

3:25:49 to 3:26:03( Edit History Discussion )

hundred dollars. just say the numbers are off by a few hundred dollars give or take. it does not matter because either way you cut it, if a family is faced with this with the bake necessities basic

3:26:03 to 3:26:17( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: necessities of life, not factoring emergency for a child or hospitalization, not factoring in other things that families have to deal with every day, whether it's an extra rent payment or increase in rent, whether

3:26:17 to 3:26:29( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: it's a pair of shoes or sneakers for a child, none of that is factored in there and this family is still behind at 201% of the poverty level. no, i've been hearing for weeks from the president, and we

3:26:29 to 3:26:44( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: all heard from him when he makes public pronouncements that somehow this program is going to families that don't need it, that their incomes are too high or it will go above yet now you have the senate

3:26:44 to 3:26:56( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: and the house who has worked out an agreement where they put a ceiling at 300% because of okays raised. i don't know what more we can do. the president apparently thinks this program works. he says he supports

3:26:56 to 3:27:16( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: it. his increase -- his measly increase would actually lead to a reduction of the number of american children who are covered. but he says he supports the program and says he wants to increase it,

3:27:16 to 3:27:29( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: he said when he was campaigning we should add millions more but he is the roadblock in front of progress on this issue. so, i think that, this illustration is right on target in terms of what a real

3:27:29 to 3:27:45( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: family faces. think about what it costs even if you have a family that has coverage through their employer, that family may have to deal with a similar situation. we all know that the average monthly

3:27:45 to 3:28:00( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: premium for family coverage is about $300. so, if -- and in either scenario they are up against a lot, paying for children's health insurance program and this is at a fairly low income level for a

3:28:00 to 3:28:09( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: family of four. so i think that argument makes no sense. i'll conclude with one other argument. there were representations made over many weeks now by the president that some -- he kept pointing to states

3:28:09 to 3:28:22( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: like new york and new jersey as examples of how these numbers would get too high and the the income levels would get too high. i can debate him on that point but i'll put that aside for a moment. what

3:28:22 to 3:28:35( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: he did notalk about, and what some of his allies have not talked about, this is not just about what happens to children in urban areas, we know from history, from continue years of evidence, now,

3:28:35 to 3:28:53( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: this program not only works generally but it works particularly well for poor kids. it works particularly well for african-american children. we've cut that rate of uninsured a lot. it works particularly

3:28:53 to 3:29:08( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: well for urban children who are us pang but it -- who are hispanic. today in america, one-third of all rural children -- and we have a lot in pennsylvania that live in rural areas, a lot of children

3:29:08 to 3:29:25( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: in rural communities -- one-third of rural children in america, today, get medicaid or schip. thank god we have those programs for rural kids and for urban kids and all theist. i will give two examples

3:29:25 to 3:29:37( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: and then i'll conclude. pennsylvania has a broad middle. we have a lot of smaller counties, many of them rural.~ i'll just give you two examples. one in the middle of pennsylvania towards the southwest

3:29:37 to 3:29:53( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: and one, clarion being up almost to the northwestern part of our state. under the bush plan, if the president were to get his way, under his children's health insurance proposal, here's what would

3:29:53 to 3:30:05( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: happen in clarion county, pennsylvania. between fiscal year 2008 and fiscal year 22012, 146 children -- that's the estimate -- would lose coverage. okay? go a couple counties away to huntington county,

3:30:05 to 3:30:23( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: a small rural county. in that same time period, five years, 2008 to 2012, 129 kids would lose their coverage. now, i think that's a tragedy for one kid or five kids or ten. but now you're talking

3:30:23 to 3:30:40( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: hundreds in just two small counties in terms of population. what's the comparison to the bipartisan children's health insurance proposal? clair clarion county gains 278 children. huntington county would

3:30:40 to 3:30:54( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: gain 247 247. so instead of losing about 130 to 150 in each of those small counties, we gain 250 children or more, maybe as high as 280. so that's the difference. we can talk all we want about percent

3:30:54 to 3:31:07( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: of income in all states. i'm looking at two counties in pennsylvania who happen to be smaller in population, happen to be largely rural, and i know that hundreds of children who get coverage now will not

3:31:07 to 3:31:20( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: get that coverage in just those two counties and hundreds of children would get coverage under the bipartisanhildren's health insurance legislation. i don't know what more the senate and the house can

3:31:20 to 3:31:32( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: do on both sides of the aisle to plead with the president to go -- to go along with what the american people have told us overwhelming overwhelmingly -- there are a lot of things we disagree about here

3:31:32 to 3:31:44( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: in the senate and aacross the country, but very few americans now disagree that in investing in children in the dawn of their lives is lives is not a good idea. for that child, for his or her community,

3:31:44 to 3:31:57( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: and for our economy long-term. so we'll continue to make the case up until and through the vote today, mr. president, but i think this is critically important for the children of america, all the

3:31:57 to 3:32:12( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: children of america, urban, suburban, rural, or any other way that we classify where our children live live. and for those sake and for the sake of the long-term economic future of the country, i

3:32:12 to 3:32:52( Edit History Discussion )

Robert P. Casey, Jr.: believe that the state children's heth insurance program legislation is urgently needed. mr. president, i yield the floor and would suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call