Against SCHIP bill

Three Democrats from North Carolina were among just 10 in their party voting in Congress late Wednesday against an expansion of a state-run Children's Health Insurance Program that could affect tens of thousands of uninsured children in the state.

Reps. Heath Shuler of Waynesville, Bob Etheridge of Lillington and Mike McIntyre of Lumberton, the state's most conservative Democrats, all voted against the bill, Barb Barrett reports.

Shuler opposed the cuts the program would make to Medicare, especially for services in hospitals and long-term care facilities, and a requirement that senior citizens perform their own maintenance on home-oxygen machines.

Etheridge opposed a tobacco tax increase that would come with the program.

More after the jump.

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Congress is working on a reauthorization of the program, which provides health insurance to low-income children. Democrats in both the House and Senate have pushed for an expansion to cover more children. North Carolina has more than 240,000 uninsured children.

Congress would pay for the insurance expansion with hefty increases in tobacco taxes – 45 cents a pack in the House version, 61 cents a pack in the Senate version.

An N.C. State University economist predicted a $540 million annual hit on the state’s economy if the Senate tax increase passed.

"I do not support smoking, and I have never smoked, but this bill is not fair to those who grow or use tobacco," said Etheridge, who often touts his status as Congress’ lone tobacco farmer. "The cigarette tax is regressive; falling hardest on those who can least afford it."

McIntyre wrote an article on his website in May saying he would advocate for expanding the insurance program, but he, too, voted "no" on Wednesday.

Like Etheridge, he said he opposed the bill because of the proposed tobacco tax, said spokesman Dean Mitchell. "SCHIP is very important but should not be expanded by a tax on the backs of farmers, small businesses and the N.C. economy."

North Carolina's other Democrats supported the expansion; the GOP delegation opposed it.

The Senate could vote as soon as today on the bill; Sens. Richard Burr and Elizabeth Dole, both Republicans, have said they oppose the tobacco tax increase.