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Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2007

Floor Speech

Date: Aug. 1, 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Unemployed and Low-Income Entitlements and the Safety Net Health Insurance

SMALL BUSINESS TAX RELIEF ACT OF 2007 -- (Senate - August 01, 2007)

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Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, this amendment essentially says what the bill is titled and represents to be, which is that the funds will go to children, to help children get health insurance. This amendment says that adults can continue to be insured by States at the reimbursement rate, which is the Medicaid rate, should they so desire, but that a higher rate should not apply to adults by putting adults under a children's program.

The problem is very simple. States are gaming the system. They are using the SCHIP program, which gives a higher reimbursement rate, to bring into the system adults, and then they take that money and basically use it in their general fund. This is not appropriate. It is not appropriate, first, to have adults funded under a children's health insurance program. Secondly, it is not appropriate to give States the ability to game the system in this manner.

So I hope people will vote for this amendment, which essentially keeps the program for children and actually expands the number of children who can be covered by saving some money that is being spent on adults.


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