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Capitol Weekly
By Ted Lempert and Jim Keddy
June 22, 2006
The Legislature has an opportunity to improve children's
health through this year's state budget. The Governor
has proposed $23 million for local communities that have
already made the choice to cover all kids but are running
out of money. Providing stop-gap funding for these existing,
effective children's health programs makes strong fiscal
sense for California; the well-known downstream costs
associated with uninsured children are much higher than
investing in preventive care early on.
The $23 million is earmarked specifically for what are
known as “Healthy Kids” programs. These programs
are local children's health initiatives that combine
public and private funding to cover more kids and deliver
other economic benefits to the state. For example, for
every new child covered by the flagship Santa Clara Healthy
Kids plan, the program also enrolls roughly one additional
child in a state-run insurance program. This benefits
the state economically because the Federal government
provides up to $2 in matching funds for every dollar
California invests in these state programs. That level
of guaranteed matching is – at least in our experience – unheard
of in the private sector, topping even the most generous
employer-sponsored 401(k) programs.
Already, many additional counties have determined that
it's a smart investment to provide health insurance to
all their children through Healthy Kids programs, including:
Alameda, Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles, Napa, Riverside,
San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis
Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Solano,
Sonoma, Tulare, and Yolo. Another 15 counties are in
the process of launching new Healthy Kids programs. Through
Healthy Kids program in these counties, children in families
that make less than $49,800 annually (for a family of
three) qualify for subsidized health insurance regardless
of immigration status. This diverse group of communities
knows first-hand that providing health insurance to all
of their children is the right decision; it's the fiscally-responsible
choice, and it reflects the community's belief that all
children deserve a chance to thrive.
These counties realize that a program for insuring all
kids means that they can deliver more cost-effective
health care and get more bang for the buck. In other
counties, uninsured children must access health care
in its most expensive form – through publicly-supported
emergency rooms. Counties with Healthy Kids programs
have also found that the simple message – “We
can help insure all kids” – is the best way
to get families to bring uninsured kids in for coverage.
These local efforts have been so successful that most
now have kids on waiting lists for coverage, a problem
that the $23 million investment would help resolve.
What's more, roughly 80 percent of California voters
agree that all children in the state should have access
to affordable health insurance, providing strong support
for the state budget's inclusion of the $23 million in
funding for children's health coverage. That's as close
as we come to a consensus in this state, and this nearly-unanimous
public support should not be surprising given the clear
rationale for insuring the health of all of our children.
About 800,000 children in California do not have basic
health insurance today. It is important to note that
the additional $23 million in funding would cover just
a small portion of these children for a period of one
year. So, it's not the long-term solution. But it's a
good step in the right direction. In November, California
voters will have the chance to provide a long-term health
insurance solution to all remaining uninsured children
in the state by passing the Tobacco Tax Initiative of
2006.
We urge the Legislature to include the $23 million in
funding for Healthy Kids programs in the final budget.
This is the common-sense decision and the will of the
people, both facts that should not be obscured by partisan
politicking.
Ted Lempert is the president of Children Now. Jim Keddy
is the director of PICO California.
The 100% Campaign, a collaborative effort of Children
Now, Children's Defense Fund and The Children’s
Partnership, with primary funding from The California
Endowment, was created to ensure that all of California’s
children obtain the health insurance they need to grow
up strong and healthy. www.100percentcampaign.org.
The PICO California Project is the united effort
of 20 California congregation-community organizations
affiliated with the PICO National Network. Collectively,
we represent 350 congregations and 400,000 families
statewide and are actively organizing in over 70 cities
in Northern and Southern California. www.picocalifornia.org.
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