SCHIP is back

By GottaLaff

It's so, so, so-o-o nice to be in power. From the Department of Making Up for Lost Time:

The House will vote this week on legislation to reauthorize and expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) after Democrats introduced a new bill on Tuesday.

The Democratic leaders of the Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means committees who authored the bill said it would expand SCHIP benefits to 4 million children who have no health benefits and maintain coverage for the 7 million kids already enrolled in SCHIP.

What? A program that will actually help people? How dare they?! Allow me to sputter: Ahem....

!?!Who's in charge here!?! sputter, spray, snort!! Qiekjaqadiqedhwsadf!!!

Democrats, that's who.

Congressional action on the popular SCHIP measure, which passed Congress with bipartisan votes twice in 2007 but died under President Bush’s veto pen, would give the incoming Obama administration a quick victory on healthcare, one of its major priorities.

Passing an SCHIP expansion also would stand as a down payment on the comprehensive health reform effort promised by President-elect Obama. [...]

Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) said, “Congressional passage and swift enactment by President-elect Obama will demonstrate that change has come to Washington.”

We can, we will, and we just did.