Feb. 4, 2009 -- President Barack Obama has signed a bill that adds an estimated 4 million children to government-sponsored health insurance coverage.
The bill adds nearly $33 billion to the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). In all it would insure 11 million children in lower-income families.
The new law pays for the expanded coverage by raising federal tobacco taxes 61 cents per pack. That brings the total federal tax to $1.01 per pack. All 50 states have their own tobacco taxes, averaging $1.19 per pack, but ranging from $0.07 in South Carolina to $2.75 per pack in New York, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
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