Artciles by Cynthia

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate passed legislation on Jan. 29 that provides health insurance to more than four million uninsured children. The vote was 66 to 32; nine Republicans joined Democrats to support the bill, estimated to cost more than $32 billion over 4½ years.

The Senate voted to increase federal tobacco taxes, including a 61-cent increase in the cigarette tax, to fund reauthorization and expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

The Senate voted to increase federal tobacco taxes, including a 61-cent increase in the cigarette tax.

The bill also would allow states to use federal money to cover children and pregnant women who are legal immigrants. Existing law generally bars legal immigrants from Medicaid and SCHIP for five years after entering the United States.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a similar bill two weeks ago, 289 to 139; 40 Republicans joined nearly all Democrats in support. House and Senate negotiators said they hope to reach agreement on a final bill this week.

Protecting children’s health was a 2008 legislative priority of the United Methodist General Board of Church & Society. “Children’s health in the United States is jeopardized by lack of access to health care and predatory practices of tobacco and alcohol industries,” said the Rev. Cynthia Abrams, director of the agency’s work area on Alcohol, Other Addictions & Health Care.

Abrams said passage of SCHIP was part of a three-pronged priority of her work area. The other two prongs were moving regulation of tobacco to the Food and Drug Administration, and obtaining full funding for the Stop Underage Drinking Prevention Act.

This legislation will create a healthier future for millions of children.

The Senate and House passage of SCHIP legislation that expands coverage was vetoed twice by President George W. Bush. The newest versions, however, not only expand coverage, but take aim at tobacco in the process.

The president of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids applauded the Senate action, calling it a win-win-win solution. "This legislation will create a healthier future for millions of children both by reducing tobacco use, the number one cause of preventable death in America, and by expanding health care coverage for kids," said Matthew Myers.

Increasing tobacco taxes is a proven strategy to reduce smoking and other tobacco use, especially among children, according to Myers. He said studies show that every 10% increase in the price of cigarettes reduces youth smoking by 7%, and overall cigarette consumption by about 4%.

"A 61-cent increase in the federal cigarette tax will prevent nearly two million kids from starting to smoke," Meyers declared, "help more than one million adult smokers quit, prevent nearly 900,000 smoking-caused deaths, and produce $44 billion in long-term health-care savings by reducing tobacco-caused health-care costs."

A disparity in tax rates would create an incentive for some cigarettes to continue to evade taxes by masquerading as little cigars.

Myers said that besides the health benefits and financial support, the Senate vote was a political win as well. He said that polling conducted for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids found that more than two-thirds of all voters support a significant increase in the federal cigarette tax to provide health-care coverage to uninsured children. "This support is evident among virtually every political and demographic subgroup of voters across the country," he said, "with large majorities of Democrats, Republicans and Independents, men and women, and urban and rural voters supporting the cigarette tax to fund children’s health care."

The House bill also includes tobacco tax increases. Differences exist, though, in the way the two bills treat little cigars.

Myers said he hoped the House would adopt the Senate's approach to “little cigars,” which are the same size as cigarettes, but have a brown wrapper. He said the Senate bill would immediately increase the tax on little cigars to $1 per pack, same as cigarettes. The House bill would phase in the increase over six years.

"Allowing a disparity in tax rates would create an incentive for some cigarettes to continue to evade taxes by masquerading as little cigars," Myers predicted, "and make these products more appealing to kids because of the lower prices."

Editor’s note: Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids offers facts sheets about federal tobacco taxes on its website,

Benefits from a 61-cent federal cigarette tax increase, and

Federal tobacco taxes

Health & Wholeness Action Network

For more on health care-related topics, visit the “Health & Wholeness” page on the General Board of Church & Society Web site: Health and Wholeness.

The Rev. Cynthia Abrams supervises a Health & Wholeness Action Network that provides legislative updates, educational resources and identifies opportunities to act on issues such as access to health care, Medicare, Medicaid, State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), mental health access and parity. She issues “Action Alerts” periodically through e-mail.

Joining the Health & Wholeness Action Network is free: go to umpower.org or click on My GBCS on the General Board of Church and Society Web site, www.umc-gbcs.org. You can also contact Donna Brandyberry, (202) 488-5641.

Cynthia Abrams can be reached at (202) 488-5636.