| Mike Dennison has a nice analysis of the legislative wrangle over funding the voter-mandated CHIP expansion. Or, I should say, an analysis of the Republican intransigence to fund what the voters overwhelmingly approved in November.
Dennison:
In the wake of his move to delay funding to expand a popular children's health-insurance program, state Sen. Dave Lewis of Helena is getting plenty of mail these days - and it's not complimentary.
"I got one e-mail from someone who thinks I did the right thing," he said Saturday. "The other 700 who e-mailed me think I'm an idiot."
So why would Lewis and his fellow Republicans set themselves up for this litany of public abuse? Only they can say for sure.
Hilarious. Indeed, Mr. Dennison, the Republicans' efforts to throttle CHIP have left a lot of us scratching their heads, too. Still, Dennison moves bravely on and offers two possible reasons why the Senate Republicans are trying to kill the CHIP mandate:
Ideology.
...many in the Montana Republican Party have never liked CHIP, even though it's politically popular. They see it as more socialization of health care, with its government provision of insurance, and note that Healthy Montana Kids would add up to 60 new bureaucrats to oversee the expansion.
-- Politics.
It's possible that funding for Healthy Montana Kids is just a bargaining chip as the budget debate unfolds this session. The expansion can't be delayed without changing the law, and that takes at least one Democratic vote, since the House is tied 50-50.
And it can't be funded without some Republican votes, since Republicans also control the Senate.
If Senate Republicans are trying to use CHIP expansion as a bargaining tool, it's probably the dumbest gambit in recent memory. Passed with seventy percent of the electorate supporting it, legislative Democrats have no incentive to bargain on the issue, because if it's scuttled, Republicans will take the fall. And Dave Lewis will be famous. Or, rather, infamous.
On the other hand, if it's ideological opposition...well...it'll be yet another reminder of how far the state GOP has strayed from the electorate.
Me? Sure, I'd love to see the Montana GOP go down in flames, but I'd rather see the legislature provide funding for CHIP. There are kids out there who need the health care coverage. |
