The State Children's Health Insurance Program would have increased eligibility for the program by 83,000, including some children from families with relatively higher income, Bush said Wednesday at a news conference.

"Now, I think the federal government ought to help those who are poor. And one of the reasons why I work so hard on Medicare reform is to make sure that we fulfill our promise to the elderly," Bush said. "But I don't like plans that move people from -- encourage people to move from private medicine to the public, and that's what's happening under this bill."