It's the cost of healthcare, stupid

(Austin) – Every so many years, there’s a dramatic divide between the economic realities regular people face and the out-of-step agendas of politicians in Washington. This is such a time — it’s true of the war in Iraq, it’s true of the price of gas, and it’s true of children’s health care.

Today Republican Congressmen Michael McCaul voted against SCHIP — the Children’s Health Insurance Program — for the fourth time. He justified his vote in this morning’s Austin American-Statesmen by saying the bill was not true to the intent of the program.

He just doesn’t get it. This issue isn’t about welfare, it is about the cost of healthcare. SCHIP families pay for the coverage they receive. For families with more means, the cost of health care has risen to nearly $12,000 per family, per year.

Forget for a moment the fact that when 9 million children nationwide are uninsured, health care costs more for the rest of us. The real question is, if Mike Mccaul won’t stand up for children on the lower end of the economic ladder, will he stand up for the rest of us?

Today, once again, Congressman McCaul made clear the answer to that question is “no.”