Republicans Bring Back The Coal Industry By Putting Coal In 9 Million Children’s Stockings

It’s positively Dickensian. Funding CHIP should be a no-brainer. Like I’ve said, show me your budget and I’ll show you your priorities.

When Congress let funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) expire at the end of September, it was with assurances that the first-ever lapse in funding for the popular and effective bipartisan program would be temporary. On Wednesday, two key Senate Republicans, Susan Collins (Maine) and Lamar Alexander (Tenn.), said reauthorizing CHIP will have to wait until next year, along with their plan to stabilize Affordable Care Act markets, despite a promise from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). “It looks like the Christmas present of lower health insurance premiums will now have to be a Valentine’s Day present,” Alexander shrugged.

“It looks like the Christmas present of lower health insurance premiums will now have to be a Valentine’s Day present,” Alexander shrugged. That shrug speaks volumes. Not to mention that many state’s CHIP funding runs out at the end of January. So much for that “Valentine’s Day present”.

Susan Collins is the worst negotiator ever. First rule of negotiating: Never agree unless your conditions are met beforehand. Either that, or all her talk (about restoring the cost-sharing reduction payments for low-income Americans and shielding insurers from high cost patients – now that the mandate is gone – which will result in premiums going up) was just that. Talk. I’m going with it was just talk. She isn’t stupid. She knew her demands would never pass the House. She just put on her “moderate” show.

I can’t imagine the fear these CHIP parents are facing. Obviously, neither can Republicans. If they could imagine, then they would have already refunded Chip, and I bet if this program impacted them it would be funded faster than a deficit raising tax bill.

I can’t imagine if you’re a parent who relies on Chip for cancer treatments for your child. When my best friend lost her insurance (many years ago) the cost of one chemo treatment for her was 10,000.00. She skipped that treatment, because… of course, she did.

Let me repeat myself: Show me your budget and I’ll show you your priorities. The pro-life crowd isn’t pro-life. At. All. They also aren’t fiscally conservative. Taking health care away from children and adding to the deficit with this tax bill lay to rest those bogus claims. I get that social security, Medicare and Medicaid are on the chopping block next. We’ll be told they need to be cut to pay for the deficit Republicans are creating.

I am sincerely hoping the GOP finds the “religion” they’re always wearing like a boutonnière and funds CHIP immediately. Using children’s health care as a pawn isn’t something their Jesus would do. I heard he was kinda big on helping the poor.