Kline Has Voted Against Health Care Coverage for Children Again and Again. John Kline voted against the Children’s Health & Medicare Protection Act of 2007, which would have expanded the popular State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to cover an additional five million children of families in need. The bill passed 225-207. (HR 3162, Vote #787, 8/1/2007)

Given the opportunity to support a bipartisan initiative to help four million of the poorest children, John Kline again voted no. The bill passed with strong bipartisan support, 265-159. (HR 976, Vote #906, 9/25/2007) After passing both the House and the Senate, the bill was vetoed by President Bush. John Kline stood with him, again saying no to helping children by voting to sustain the president’s veto. The veto override failed by a mere 13 votes. (HR 976, Vote #982, 10/18/2007)

Kline Voted for Higher Prescription Drug Costs for Seniors. The Medicare prescription drug plan that John Kline voted in for in 2003 gave billions to businesses and the health care industry but forced seniors to accept annual increases in premiums and deductibles and created a growing gap in coverage for their prescriptions. Premiums are projected to rise 65 percent and the deductible and coverage gap to rise 78 percent over 8 years.

Kline Could Have Helped Seniors, But He Decided to Help Big Drug Companies Instead. He voted against allowing the Department of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower drug prices for Medicare participants. (HR 1, Vote #668, 11/21/2003)

Eighty-nine thousand Minnesota seniors are expected to pay more for their prescription drugs under the plans Kline supported. (HR 1, Vote #669, 11/21/2003)