Take Back the Debate on SCHIP

Take Back the Debate on SCHIP
By Randy A. Samuelson

In watching the recent debates on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), I quickly realized that liberals are dominating the debate on the issue. Republican Presidential candidates are agreeing in principle that it is a proper role of government to provide health care for children. I have to wonder why conservatives are not changing the debate to fit our principles and goals instead of changing our goals and principles to fit the debate.

At the core of the conservative argument and debate should be that we are looking out for the best interest of families and children in America and we have the same common desires as the liberals. Our goals are the same, but our method is what is different. The liberals, who are controlling the debate, wish to create and expand taxes to provide government mandated health care for children, and eventually, everybody. Conservatives wish to utilize businesses and the expansion of the economy to provide for the needed insurance. Only by expanding our national economy through incentives for business can we have the necessary prosperity to ensure that all children are insured. Only businesses produce high-paying jobs and wealth. Government seizes wealth through taxes which takes away business incentives to create wealth and therefore creates a demand for additional government services and solutions.

The health care provided by SCHIP will eventually drive up the cost of insurance for all of us because the children who are given the insurance are high risk applicants for non-payment, diseases due to their living situations, and other such issues. For insurance companies to continue to provide this coverage to the recipients of SCHIP will require the rest of us to pay higher costs for our own health insurance, higher costs for actual health care so our doctors can make money, and higher taxes so the government can reimburse the insurance companies. How does this benefit the children? In reality, our children are given a loan by the federal government to spend on health care, but the interest rate on that loan in indiscernibly large through higher taxes and higher insurance premiums later in life.

Once again, the intentions of the liberals are offset by their plan of action to achieve such results. This is a prime opportunity for conservatives to take over the debate on this issue and push for personal Health Savings Accounts and the expansion of the economy so that individuals can afford to pay for their own health insurance instead of looking to the government. Conservatives, take back the debate! Stop agreeing with the liberals on the need for SCHIP and instead push for the economic policies that ensure that all Americans can afford affordable insurance!