Marilyn Musgrave Votes with George W. Bush and Big Tobacco Over...
11 Million Kids w/o Health Insurance; Colorado Medicare Beneficiaries; Easter Seals; AARP; American Medical Association; Catholic Health Association of U.S.; Cystic Fibrosis Foundation; American Hospital Association; Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; And Many, Many Other Health Advocates…
[Full List at http://energycommerce.house.gov/CHAMP/CHAMP_index.shtml#Lettersofsupport]
Rep. Marilyn Musgrave voted last night against the Children’s Health and Medicare Protection (CHAMP) Act to provide health coverage to 11 million U.S. children [RC Vote #787, 8/1/07]. The CHAMP Act also strengthens the Medicare program by extending the life of the Trust Fund by three years and averts scheduled payment cuts to physicians to ensure that seniors will be able to maintain access to the Medicare provider of their choice.
The bill was backed by dozens of public health and children's advocates, but Rep. Musgrave sided with George W. Bush and the tobacco companies who oppose the bill, which raises the price of cigarettes by 45 cents per pack to pay for children's health care and Medicare improvements.
"By voting with George W. Bush and the tobacco companies over Colorado’s uninsured kids and Medicare beneficiaries, Marilyn Musgrave has made clear who she’s really representing in Washington,'" said 4th District Democratic candidate Betsy Markey. "The bill that Musgrave voted against last night funds children and seniors’ health care for five years for roughly the same amount we will spend in just five months on the war in Iraq. The bill is paid for primarily through a sensible hike in the cost of cigarettes, but Marilyn Musgrave chose to side with tobacco companies over health advocates from AARP to Easter Seals.
"This is further evidence of how Marilyn Musgrave’s votes with Bush and her party leaders, on issues from Iraq to children's health and Medicare, are way out of step with Colorado’s priorities and why we need a new voice in Congress."
The $50 billion investment in children and seniors' health care, which is paid for and budget neutrak, represents just five months of spending in Iraq, according the Congressional Budget Office, which recently estimated that the war is costing U.S. taxpayers $10 billion per month. [http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/07/31/ap3973862.html]