Veto of Children's Healthcare Costs Hospitals that Treat the Poor $150 Million

The tsunami-like problems emanating from President Bush's veto roll over the Tennessee hospitals that provide indigent care for a disproportionate share of uninsured children. This morning's Tennessean reports that the Bush veto of Congress' SCHIP could cost those hospitals $30 million a year for 5 years in their efforts to deliver adequate health care whenever the state's 127,000 uninsured kids need it.

This veto really was unconscionable and reprehensible. We're only going to see more tragedy and distress resulting from it. Congress needs to find its heart, claim its responsibility to be the funder of government programs (regardless of what "the decider" does), and override the veto of SCHIP.