WHY TAKE ACTION NOW?
SEDONA STROLLER BRIGADE
Congress is putting the finishing touches on health care reform legislation and it is astonishing that we are still begging to make sure children are better off, not worse off, in the end. We need your help to send a strong and urgent message to Congress and the President that parents deserve peace of mind, affording head-to-toe health coverage for their children that it is easy to get and keep!
Although there is a strong safety net for children in this country, which includes Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), millions of children are consistently falling through the cracks. The health care system for children desperately needs to be strengthened and simplified. There are more than 8 million uninsured children in America – that’s one in ten. More than 2,200 children are born uninsured every day. Millions of families are losing employer-based coverage, struggling to afford health insurance premiums, or facing medical bills they can’t pay. Currently, two-thirds of uninsured children are eligible but complicated enrollment processes are slowing down the progress towards healthier children.
Poor health in childhood can cast long shadows later in life. Consequently, good health at birth and throughout childhood is essential both for children themselves and the adults and workers they will become. Further, the cost effectiveness of providing health care to all children makes universal coverage a sound financial investment. All children must have access to affordable, quality health care
If we are to end the problem of children growing up without health coverage and ensure affordable coverage, real health reform is necessary. The good news is that Members of Congress agree that our health system is broken and are currently debating legislation to reform the system. Unfortunately, too few understand the unique health and developmental needs of children and the problems millions of families face when trying to access quality health care.
CDF is working with several national partners and has convened hundreds of groups and secured endorsements from almost 1,300 organizations representing more than 60 million people throughout the United States to champion principles for children and pregnant women.
Real Children’s Health Reform in 2009
Guarantee every child and pregnant woman comprehensive health and mental health coverage this year! Any health care reform legislation must include these principles for children:
The System Must Be Simple and Seamless. There must be a streamlined application and enrollment process to make it easy for children to get and stay enrolled. State bureaucratic barriers now keep about two-thirds of the uninsured children who are eligible for CHIP or Medicaid from enrolling.
Benefits Must Be Comprehensive. Health reform must guarantee every child access to all medically necessary health and mental health services from head to toe to maximize a child’s health and development.
Coverage Must Be Affordable. All children up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level (about $66,000 for a family of four) need cost sharing protections consistent with current out-of-pocket limits in Medicaid.
For more information please go directly to
www.childrensdefense.org
The CDF mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. CDF provides a strong, effective and independent voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby or speak for themselves.
