Bush will now get his chance. The $35 billion CHIP bill received its final congressional approval Thursday with a Senate vote of 67-29.

It takes a two-thirds majority of Congress to override a veto. The Senate could do it, but the House, which passed the bill on Tuesday, fell about 25 votes shy of that mark.

CHIP, which has been in place for a decade, is set to expire Sunday. If Bush's expected veto stands, the president and congressional leaders have said they would pass a short-term extension, most likely until mid-November, to continue negotiations.

CHIP provides health coverage for children in families with incomes too great to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford private insurance. Each state has its own system funded mostly by federal dollars.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called the expansion effort a Democratic "Trojan horse to sneak government-run health care into the states."

Bush has made similar claims when explaining his opposition. He also rails against the proposed 61-cent cigarette tax increase that would pay for the additional $35 billion in spending over the next five years.

Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, voted against the proposal. He argues the expansion goes beyond the original intent of CHIP because it doesn't eliminate waivers to cover some adults and may lead to some families dropping private coverage in favor of the government plan.

Democratic leaders, who hold majorities in both houses, have taken the lead on this bill. But they also have some significant Republican support. In the House, 45 Republicans backed the bill. Hatch and Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, are vocal advocates of what they call a "classic compromise." They have criticized Bush and other Republicans who vote against the expansion.

Hatch said the bill reduces the number of adults covered and would not allow states to provide insurance to middle-class children unless they get the approval of the administration. He called these complaints "a red herring," since the Bush administration has approved waivers leading to the same things they now oppose.

Hatch also dismisses claims the bill leads to a "one-size-fits-all universal health care," saying opponents could make similar accusations about any health bill.

"I don't want to go to that," he said. "On the other hand, I don't want to leave these kids high and dry, either."

CHIP now covers 6.6 million children, including about 27,000 in Utah. The reauthorization would allow the nationwide number to grow to 10 million and up to 18,000 more Utahns. Bush wants to keep that number flat and his proposal includes $5 billion in additional money.

In making his pitch for the program, Hatch said that the United States government spends $900 billion on health care in a year. Finding the additional money for children "is not too much to ask," he said.

And even under the $35 billion proposal, Hatch said, the government would not be able to cover all of the children in families earning less than twice the poverty level.

mcanham@sltrib.com