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Fresno Bee
Editorial
July 7, 2006
Candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger promised three years ago
to see that every child in California would have access
to health care. That's a goal we support wholeheartedly,
especially in this Valley, where so many thousands of poor
children have no such access.
Gov. Schwarzenegger was in Fresno on Wednesday in aid
of that effort. He met with community groups and agencies
that are trying to enroll more children in free or low-cost
government health insurance programs.
The two state programs at the heart of this effort are
Medi-Cal and Healthy Families, which between them cover
about 4 million California children. But there are nearly
430,000 children outside the net, including some 11,000
in Fresno County.
Many of these are illegal immigrants, and they've fallen
victim to the politics surrounding that contentious issue.
There are about 200,000 children in California without
citizenship papers, making them ineligible for Medi-Cal
and Healthy Families, according to Kimberly Belshé,
the governor's health and human services secretary.
Republicans in the Legislature, with their votes needed
to pass the state's budget last month, succeeded in pressuring
Schwarzenegger and Democrats to cut $23 million to extend
coverage to many children who do not qualify for Medi-Cal
or Healthy Families because their families are not poor
enough or are illegal immigrants.
County programs such as the Healthy Kids initiative
in Fresno County offer low-cost insurance for children
who either are not citizens or whose families earn too
much to qualify for state programs.
Schwarzenegger is firm on the issue: "We believe
strongly that this is a program for all children, regardless
of documented or undocumented immigrants," he said
in Fresno Wednesday. "We want to reach all of them
because children should not be caught up in the crossfire
of politics."
We agree. Forcing children to go without health care
is indefensible, no matter what ideological imperatives
control the political debate.
It's also foolish. Children--citizens or not--whose
illnesses are not treated may spread diseases. And when
primary and preventive care are not available, the emergency
room often becomes the primary-care clinic--at vastly
higher costs, which are ultimately borne by taxpayers.
Expanding these health-care programs to all children
in the state is essential. We're glad the governor and
local agencies are working hard to do so.
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