WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, Senator John Kerry responded to President George Bush’s comments on the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan (S-CHIP) and the Administration’s health tax proposals. A member of the Senate Finance Committee, Kerry is joining with bipartisan colleagues to renew and strengthen the S-CHIP program. Today, nine million kids are uninsured in America, with two-thirds of them fully eligible for S-CHIP or Medicaid, but not yet enrolled.

“The White House doesn’t want Americans to know that Washington has failed to enroll nine million children for health insurance they desperately need and deserve,” said Kerry.

“The Democratic Congress intends to pass bipartisan legislation this year that brings quality coverage to as many eligible children as possible, and the White House seems willing to say just about anything to block progress.”

“While the President pretends there’s a risk of too many kids getting health insurance, we know from nonpartisan reports that Bush’s plan to cut S-CHIP would actually result in millions of low-income kids losing coverage. Americans could care less about petty debating points or partisanship when it comes to making sure Americas’ kids can go see a doctor and receive medical care. The President needs to stop being a master of misdirection, and start working with Congress to complete the business of protecting our kids.”

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the Bush Administration’s S-CHIP proposal would dramatically decrease the amount of low-income children with health insurance. The S-CHIP program is a solid bipartisan issue. It was passed by a Republican Congress, has been implemented and expanded at the state level by more Republican Governors than Democrats, and is championed by many Republicans in Congress today.