One of the biggest factors in a child's success in school and in life is his or her health. If a child's family doesn't have the money to get access to health care, that child is likely to be less healthy and, as a result, less successful.That's why there's a bipartisan push in Washington to expand the initiative that provides children from low-income families with health coverage (it's known as HealthWave in Kansas.)Reps. Dennis Moore and Nancy Boyda both voted to increase the number of kids that are covered. Jerry Moran and Todd Tiahrt told the kids "no," as did Sam Brownback who actually managed to show up to vote for once.But in one ray of sunshine, Sen. Pat Roberts voted for the Senate's proposal to expand children's health insurance. (Don't say we never write anything nice about Republicans.)President Bush has vowed to veto any expansion of children's health insurance, meaning there will need to be an override attempt once Congress sends him the final bill and once he tells America's kids to "toughen up and walk it off."

Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Senate have come together to agree on an expansion of the number of children who will be able to receive health insurance through a wildly successful effort to help kids start life healthy. More than 3.3 million kids would benefit.

But President Bush has rejected this agreement. Surely he has a good reason for keeping kids from getting health care, right?

The president said he objects on philosophical grounds to a bipartisan Senate proposal to boost the State Children's Health Insurance Program by $35 billion over five years.

"Philosophical grounds" is being charitable. It's called ideology, and it is an ideology that is not compatible with the belief in "compassionate conservatism" Bush abandoned on January 20, 2001.

Yesterday’s Los Angeles Times set out all the problems with America’s health care system. Today, the Kansas Health Institute has a story about something that’s working: the State of Kansas’ HealthWave program.

Kaylin Gragg celebrated her 13th birthday last week.

Her mother says the girl is lucky to be alive.

”I just can’t say enough good things about HealthWave,” said Jennifer Gragg, referring to Kansas’ health insurance program for children in low-income families.

Thanks to HealthWave, Kaylin is able to get insurance to cover her chronic conditions, as well as preventative care – the most effective and least expensive kind – rather than having to go to emergency rooms like so many uninsured Americans. This saves her family money, as well as reducing costs for the health providers.

Governor Sebelius has tried for two years to expand this program to cover all children from birth to age five, but the Republican Legislature continues to say “no”, depriving countless Kansas kids from having the same opportunities for a healthy life that HealthWave is currently providing to Kaylin.