President Bush says he stands on principle in trying to restrain the expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. But even his usual allies are showing more concern with the reality that children need health care.

On Tuesday, the House went against the president and passed a $35 billion expansion of SCHIP across five years, though perhaps not by a veto-proof majority. The plan would add 4 million children to the 6.6 million now covered.

The vote was 265-159. Forty-five Republicans, members of Mr. Bush’s own party, were in the majority. The Senate voted 67-29 for the bill.

Insurers, doctors, hospitals and business executives also support the legislation.

America’s Health Insurance Plans — a national association representing nearly 1,300 insurance companies serving more than 200 million people — supports it. The White House claims it will hurt private insurance by taking away paying, healthy clients. But this prospect apparently doesn’t bother AHIP, which earlier described the plan as “a strong stand for public health.”

The president and CEO of the American Hospital Association said children without health insurance are 21/2 times more likely to go without care than those who have it. He said the legislation would help ensure that minor illnesses don’t become major.

The Business Roundtable, which represents CEOs of major companies, approves of expanding SCHIP. By covering children of working parents who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, it helps businesses offer employees more-affordable health insurance.

Mr. Bush’s White House says the SCHIP expansion would be a step toward government-run health care, and maybe it would be.

But others seem more troubled than he is about the health care system’s failure to serve people who need it.

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