Democratic Congressional candidate Eric Massa has a simple question for his counterpart: Which is worse, costlier cigarettes or leaving millions of children without health insurance?

On January 23, the House of Representatives will decide whether to override President Bush's veto of a bill expanding the Children's Health Insurance Program (S-chip), the states' health insurance programs for children. If the veto is rejected, the program would expand to cover more low- and middle- income children. It would be funded through a new tobacco tax. 

"Getting a child to see a doctor should not be a political decision," Massa said during a January 22 press conference. He challenged Republican Rep. Randy Kuhl, his potential opponent in the November election, to vote for a veto override. (Kuhl has not yet announced whether he will seek re-election.)

In previous statements, Kuhl criticized the expansion bills, saying they didn't meet the needs of low-income children first before extending coverage to children in middle-income families. He voted against the bills and also to uphold vetoes against them.

S-chip was set to expire last year, but Congress passed a bill extending it until March 31, 2009. Kuhl voted for the extension.