As the 111th Congress starts, the Democratic majority is proposing to reauthoirze the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which might include increased funding and expanded coverage, from children in families making twice the poverty level to possibly three or four times the poverty level. All of this would be paid for by an increase in the federal cigarette tax from 39 cents for $1 per pack. Phil Kerpen, Director of Policy for Americans for Prosperity, goes through some of the details of this proposal and explains why the cigarette tax hike would disproportionally hit those at lower income levels. You can read Phil’s op-ed in the Washington Times on this subject here. Listen to the podcast here.
