The $64,000 Question: Does Dean Andal support affordable health care for California’s children?

From Brian Brokaw:

Next week, Congress is expected to take up a vote to override President Bush’s veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) -- a veto that places 1.4 million children here in California at risk of losing affordable, quality health insurance.

While Democrats and Republicans from across the nation support the SCHIP bill, GOP Congressional Wannabe Dean Andal stays silent on the issue.

Does Andal support the bipartisan SCHIP bill passed by Congress that will provide 10 million American children with affordable health insurance? Or is he against it?

While we won’t know for sure until Andal emerges from hiding, a quick glance at his record sheds some light on how he’s prioritized health care in the past:

• As an Assemblyman, Andal headed a GOP Budget Caucus that proposed massive health care cuts. Andal’s task force suggested 86 different budget reductions, with the bulk coming from cuts in health and welfare programs for the poor. [Los Angeles Times, 12/03/93]
• In 1992, Andal voted against a bill designed to impose a cap on health care insurance costs, lower premiums, and require insurance carriers to offer coverage to everyone. [Los Angeles Times, 5/29/92]
• In 1993, Andal voted against a bill requiring medical care for poor children. The bill was intended to ensure that children, who comprised the majority of enrollees in the managed care plans which contracted with the Department of Health Services, received Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment services as required by federal law. [AB 1604 summary]
• Since 1990, Andal has accepted more than $64,000 from companies and PACs associated with medical and health care interests [San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters; California Secretary of State]

For now, the $64,000 question remains: if he were in Congress, would Andal march in lockstep with Bush, or would he join 49 governors and a bipartisan majority in the House and Senate in voting to provide 10 million children with affordable health insurance?

Andal may continue to hide from this critical issue, but he can’t hide from his record.