Utah Insurance

President Bush yesterday a veto $ 35 billion expansion of children, a popular insurance program Medicare, a step, as politically isolated as it once again and even its Republican allies to surrender questioning the hard-line strategy.

Bush advisers have said she still hoped that certainly an extension of 10 years, with lower prices, say they want the opening of negotiations at a glance.

But House Democratic leader, it is not yet ready to negotiate. They delayed until October 18 to replace a vote, the right of veto, in the hope that the popular movement public health campaign and political favours a plethora of television channels and radio wins in 15 or Republicans They must overcome the opposition of Bush.

The veto, only the fourth of his presidency, stressed that Bush and Congress have always find a way to work together effectively, nine months after the control of Democrats. White House aids were quickly criticized by Democrats but also some of the administration allies on Capitol Hill and K Street, “said Bush himself was that the debt is not common to find one on health programs for children, that the two parties to confess love.

“Look, I do not agree with the [White House] legislative staff in all of this,” said Senator Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), a key role in the negotiating team of veto. “Frankly, I think the President is quite bad advice on this matter. I can not answer any objection they have done, and I am very supportive of the president. I know he’s” compassionate. I know he is concerned about these children, but it is sold has an account of goods. ”

Chip-Kahn, former health GOP aide on Capitol Hill, head of a professional association for hospitals, said he was “befuddled by the White House’s approach to this legislation and can not understand that this is not any compromise, could not satisfy all enough to adopt this law. ”

Officials of the administration said that the criticism was unfair and that the Democrats have ignored the president. Exposition, before a group of companies in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Bush accused his opponents of trying to Congress, “federalize health care.” But he said he is open to negotiations and is ready to “a little more money” if they cover the recruitment and retention of the use of low-income children.

Officials of the administration said, it is much too early to write the subject. In an interview, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said the example of reform legislation on welfare during the year 1996, which was twice vetoed by the President Bill Clinton, before reaching housing with a GOP Congress. “A bill has been successful, it happens, and it was a very successful initiative,” he said, indicating that it might even happen this year.

It is a program for health insurance for children whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but can not be denied health insurance. The veto, the $ 5 billion years programme of $ 7 billion per year on average over the next five years. Proponents say this would be enough to register 10 million, up from 6.6 million to reduce drastically and the number of uninsured children in the country, which is currently about 9 million.

The current confrontation was also far from the White House, according to the wishes of the use of the accounts of the State authorizing new Children’s Health Insurance Program, for Bush proposals to expand health insurance by tax benefits as a result its fiscal policy. The idea was a key priority of the State of the Union Address, Bush and his advisers have tried throughout spring legislator in the interest of putting the measure of a Schip.

But Republicans on the key health care, including Senator Charles E. Grassley (Iowa), ranking GOP member of the Finance Committee, said she has not found a buyer for this approach. Hatch, a conservative, said he thought Bush would be unrealistic and did not have with the fact that Democrats now Congress.

“It’s great when they had done all the preparatory work, but had not done, ever. And to get health care, invoices, it takes years,” Hatch said in an interview.

On instructions from Grassley, Leavitt and economic White House adviser Allan Hubbard contacted Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), in collaboration with Senator Robert F. Bennett (R-Utah) was a shift bipartie share, for universal coverage by private health insurers. But in more than 20 phone calls and meetings, Wyden said that the White House has never been willing to go beyond Bush far more limited health tax proposals.