Four million more children in the United States will have their health insurance covered thanks to an expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) passed with overwhelming approval last week by the US House of Representatives.

 

Currently the program, created in 1997 to help families who make too much money to qualify for the Medicaid health program for the poor, but don’t have enough money to pay for private insurance, covers about 7.4 million children in the United States.

 

President Barack Obama said the bill is “not just good economic policy, but a moral obligation we hold as parents and citizens.” He signed the bill into law immediately after it passed the House of Representatives.

 

The legislation will raise federal taxes on tobacco taxes, including an increase of 61 cents in the tax on cigarettes to $1 a pack.

 

“Since it was created more than 10 years ago, the Children's Health Insurance Program has been a lifeline for millions of kids whose parents work full time, and don't qualify for Medicaid, but through no fault of their own don't — and can't afford — private insurance. For millions of kids who fall into that gap, CHIP has provided care when they're sick and preventative services to help them stay well. This legislation will allow us to continue and build on these successes,” President Barack Obama said.

 

President George W. Bush vetoed two similar bills in 2007, objecting to the tax increase and the expansion of government health care.