Conni Muff earned a degree from Missouri Western State University and got a job as a social worker. Despite a diploma and employment, the St. Joseph woman can't pay for her son's health insurance.

The state does that.

"If not for the state system, he wouldn't have health insurance," she said, young Jadyn sitting on her lap.

The Muffs took part in a Wednesday morning press conference in which two U.S. senators and a congressional candidate weighed into Rep. Sam Graves regarding his votes in Washington against the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

The campaign of Kay Barnes, a Democrat looking to unseat Mr. Graves as Northwest Missouri's congressman, said the program he opposed would have provided coverage for 8,000 young people in the 6th District.

Ms. Barnes, along with U.S. Sens. Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Jon Tester of Montana, spoke about the SCHIP votes at the One Step Ahead Children's Care Center in St. Joseph.

They accused the Republican lawmaker of rubber-stamping the vetoes of President Bush, of choosing special interest groups over the welfare of children and of providing a disingenuous answer in justifying his votes.

Ms. McCaskill called SCHIP "an efficient and smart program" that covers the nation's poorest children and enjoys bipartisan support in Congress.

The Democratic senator said Mr. Graves "stayed out there on the fringe" in supporting the president's veto and offered an excuse that illegal immigrants could benefit from the program.

"This program was not going to provide one dime of coverage to any illegal immigrant," she said. "I think Sam Graves knew that when he said it."

Mr. Tester, a first-term senator like Ms. McCaskill, said some lawmakers made excuses on SCHIP while others made investments in young people.

"If we're going to talk about making our most valuable asset all it can be, our children, we've got to make that investment," the Montanan said.

He added a health-care solution would never be found "if you're looking out for your special interest buddies."

Ms. Barnes said the program expansion could be paid for through correcting program inefficiencies and providing preventative care before serious illnesses set in.

Ryan Steusloff, communications director for the Graves campaign, said Ms. Barnes' rhetoric does not match her record. He cited health-care cuts made in 2004 to the Kansas City budget when she served as mayor.

"I find it surprising that Kay Barnes would want to expand SCHIP to include families living in New York making over $80,000 a year, when she cut health care for poor families in Kansas City by $4.2 million," he said.

Ken Newton can be reached

at kenn@npgco.com.