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Santa Cruz Sentinel
May 6, 2005
Santa Cruz Sentinel Editorial
In this era of limited
government resources, the idea of health insurance for every
child seems like an impossibility. However, the opposite
is true. A variety of efforts are coming together to provide
health and dental insurance to a group of children particularly
in need--those in poverty who aren't covered now.
The effort in Santa Cruz County was launched
last July. And this week has been designated by a variety
of agencies as Insure the Uninsured Week, and many people
have spent the week advocating for an expansion of the program.
The political side of things is taking place
in Sacramento, where two companion bills are moving through
both houses of the Legislature. The Senate is hearing SB 437,
while the Assembly is considering AB 772.
The legislation would guarantee funding that
proponents say would be enough to offer health-care insurance
to virtually all of California's children. The payoff,
as has been argued by public health officials locally and
nationally, is a huge savings in the long run. The lack of
preventive care only causes worse--and more expensive--health
care later.
The importance of the legislation that's
proposed is that the measures would be consolidated. Not only
would statewide programs like Medi-Cal and others be brought
together into one program, other local programs would be coordinated.
For example, Santa Cruz County's Healthy
Kids Initiative would get a boost. At the time of the program's
launch last July, about 5,000 children had no insurance in
Santa Cruz County. As the months have rolled by, the program
leaders have been able to cut into that number by about half.
The local initiative already does a great
job of coordinating funding. For example, some children in
poverty qualify for existing plans, while others are in a
county-run health insurance program. Yet others are falling
through the cracks, and the county program does a good job
of getting coverage to those who don't have it.
Health care for children is an issue that
everyone should care about. An important piece of good public
health is ensuring that all children--who are at risk of getting
communicable diseases especially--receive treatment.
The state legislation has a good chance of
passing: Unlike many bills in Sacramento these days, it has
supporters from both parties. A recent statewide poll of voters
found that 78 percent of voters--including 63 percent of Republicans--support
the idea of health insurance for every child.
There's a huge payoff to ensuring that
all kids receive access to health care. That's why programs
like the local Healthy Kids Initiative have started even before
the needed legislation kicks in. Donations are being collected
now to find those who still aren't aware of the health-care
insurance that's available.
Anyone interested in learning more about Santa
Cruz County's Healthy Kids Initiative can contact Program
Manager Theresa Winterbauer Martinez at 466-4372.
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