SCHIP update
President Bush’s veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) prompted a group of Oklahomans to hold a rally in support of the program and to call upon Oklahoma members of Congress to override the veto. 127,000 Oklahoma children have no health insurance.
Oklahoma Congressman Dan Boren and son of OU President David Boren announced he had changed his mind and will vote to override the veto. “I believe after a search of my conscience that this is the right thing to do for Oklahoma and the country,” Boren stated. Boren is the sole Democrat in the Oklahoma delegation.
In a recent editorial, the Tulsa World stated, “The State Children’s Health Insurance Program is a federal program that works. It has increased the number of American children who receive primary health care and vaccinations before they get seriously ill. It keeps them out of emergency rooms for problems that shouldn’t become emergencies. Finally, it helps keep them in school, with a better shot at academic success.”