Obama Signs SCHIP Extension

[silverscreenselect]

President Obama has signed a law extending SCHIP funding that was due to expire in March, which means that four million children insured under SCHIP won't be out of medical coverage in a couple of months. The bill that passed this time (passing the House before Obama was inaugurated and passing the Senate last week) was similar to one that Bush vetoed last year. John McCain supported Bush's veto and voted against this year's bill, which indicates what he might have done had he been President this time around. The money for this extension will come primarily from an increase on the Federal tobacco tax.

I don't know how often I will be saying this, but this does mark a meaningful break (for the better) from the way things were run in this country under Bush and is by far the most significant thing Obama has done so far in office. I congratulate him for that. It also indicates just how far out of touch the Republicans are with the mood of the public and the realities of today's economic life for many people.

It remains to be seen just how much of a commitment to healthcare reform Obama will have once the going gets tougher.