WASHINGTON, D.C. -- December 12, 2007 -- “The President today is expected to reject his second chance to give four million disadvantaged children access to health insurance by vetoing the bipartisan bill to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) through an increase in the federal tobacco tax.
“The President’s disappointing decision to put tobacco company profits before children’s health is a tremendous opportunity lost, not only for the kids who need health care but for all Americans who would benefit from the enormous lifesaving potential of an increase in the federal tobacco tax. The status quo is wholly unacceptable; our children deserve more.
“The SCHIP bill passed both houses of Congress twice this fall with strong bipartisan majorities. The bill would have expanded the number of children covered by SCHIP by raising the federal cigarette tax by 61 cents, an increase that would reduce youth smoking by an estimated seven percent and overall cigarette consumption by four percent. A 61-cent increase in the cigarette tax would prevent 900,000 premature deaths from smoking and save 1.9 million children from becoming lifelong tobacco users. Tobacco kills more than 440,000 Americans each year.”
ACS CAN is the nonprofit, nonpartisan sister advocacy organization of the American Cancer Society, dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage lawmakers, candidates and government officials to support laws and policies that will make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.