Ensign’s insurance strictly private

Thursday, Aug. 2, 2007 | 8:06 a.m.

WASHINGTON - Sen. John Ensign has made no secret of his objection to legislation being debated by Congress this week that would expand children's health care.

The Nevada Republican believes the proposal is a step toward socialized medicine when the country should be going in the opposite direction by offering tax incentives to put more children and families into private insurance policies.

So he stepped up to the microphone Wednesday morning in the Senate with a novel amendment: Take the proposed 61-cent-per-pack tobacco tax increase that would be used to fund the expansion and put it instead in a new trust fund for the prevention and treatment research of cancer and other serious diseases.

It all sounded plausible enough until the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee stepped up to his microphone.

"It's fantasyland," said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. "It's actually a remarkable amendment - it tries to spend the same dollars twice."

Baucus said Ensign's amendment was written in a way that has the smoke tax money going to both the children's program and the proposed new trust fund.

"It might be possible in Harry Potter's world," Baucus added.

Ensign protested, arguing his amendment did nothing of the sort. Ensign said his proposal took the money out of the children's health care program - not the existing program that covers millions nationwide, including 30,000 in Nevada, but the proposed expansion. (Another 60,000 children in Nevada would be eligible.)

Ensign went on to say that he would like to make other changes in the bill in line with his thinking on health care, suggestions that would come later in the debate.

"I believe in actually covering everybody," Ensign said. "I actually believe in a more comprehensive approach that doesn't depend on the government."

Baucus thought the conversation had drifted. "I think it's important to just talk about the amendment - not all these very important points about health care," he said.

Baucus pointed to analyses showing that if money is not increased beyond current levels, some of the 6 million children now covered will be dropped.

"If he intends to have all the additional tobacco taxes go to the trust fund, then the net effect is 1.4 million low-income kids will lose coverage," Baucus said.

Ensign tried again to, from his perspective, set the record straight.

"This amendment funds cancer research ... any kind of cancer you can think of," he said. "Respiratory disease ... things that will benefit not just children, all Americans. It doesn't spend the money twice - I've pointed that out - it takes the money from the expansion and I believe spends it in more appropriate areas."

With that, Ensign called for the vote.

"The points the senator makes are very good," Baucus said, getting in the last word. "But still the fact of this amendment is to take dollars away from kids, away from the children's health insurance program."

Senators turned down Ensign's amendment, 58-26.