(CNSNews.com) - It's decision time for Democrats, Republican leaders say: Now that the House has failed to sustain President Bush's veto of the SCHIP expansion bill, "will they continue to play politics with children's health care, or will they finally work to reach a bipartisan agreement on renewing the legislation?

Democrats apparently plan to play politics: They've promised to introduce another, similar bill -- changing it just enough to attract more Republican support. But Republicans say bipartisan negotiations are the only solution.

Now that the Democrats' first SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program) bill is dead, House Republican leader John Boehner urged his colleagues to support a Republican bill that will renew the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) for low-income, not middle-income, children.

Republican Reps. Marilyn Musgrave (Colo.), Tom Feeney (Fla.) Tom Price (Ga.), and Tim Walberg (Mich.) introduced the alternative SCHIP plan.

"I commend my GOP colleagues for offering legislation that embodies Republican principles of smaller government and faith in the free market," Boehner said on Thursday.

"This measure would fully reauthorize the SCHIP program, which was established under a Republican majority in 1997, and does so in a way that would not set our nation on a path toward government-run health care managed by bureaucrats and politicians in Washington."

But on Thursday, after the House sustained President Bush's veto, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) insisted the "fight is not over." It's "just beginning," she said.

Pelosi noted the vote to override the veto "fell short by 10 Republican obstructionist votes," and she said President Bush and "rubber stamp Republicans" will be "haunted" by the veto of the SCHIP expansion bill.

"We will never stop fighting for children's health insurance and for what we as Democrats believe in," Pelosi promised. "Our voices will be heard."

Pelosi said Democrats are offering the American people hope and progress, while a "stubborn President and his obstructionist Republican friends in Congress" are responding with roadblocks.

"This is the third time when the only thing blocking meaningful change that Americans overwhelming support was George Bush's veto pen and obstructionist Republicans to back him up. I promise you that the debate and the fight are not over on children health insurance, stem cell research and on the war in Iraq. We will never stop holding this President and his obstructionist Republican friends accountable," Pelosi said.

She said the only way to achieve "meaningful change" in the country is to put a Democrat in the White House with a strong Democratic majority in Congress.

Rep. Boehner said Congress has a "fresh opportunity to begin bipartisan negotiations to renew SCHIP and insure low-income children first," and he hopes Democrats will join Republicans in putting children ahead of partisan politics.

"I'm hopeful we'll begin our bipartisan work very soon," Boehner said.