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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
For Media Assistance
Assemblymember Chan, Senator Escutia
to carry bill
SACRAMENTO--Legislation to help ensure the
health of every California child was introduced late last
week by Senator Martha Escutia (D-Norwalk) and Assemblymember
Wilma Chan (D-Oakland). Sponsored by the 100% Campaign and
PICO California Project, this legislation will put forth a
plan to cover all uninsured children.
The legislation (SB437, AB772) builds upon
the work of Californians for Healthy Kids, an unprecedented
bipartisan network of teachers, business leaders, parents,
health care providers, faith leaders, labor representatives,
and children's advocates focused on insuring every child in
California. The details of the legislation are still being
written.
"This legislation is a historic opportunity
for California to lead the nation in ensuring that all our
children have access to affordable health care," said
Senator Escutia. "With modest steps, we can realistically
achieve this momentous goal."
"We will propose innovative, practical
solutions to save taxpayer dollars and help insure our children,"
said Assemblymember Chan, Chairwoman of the Assembly Health
Committee. "We look forward to working with families
and community leaders around the state as we craft this legislation."
"We are thrilled to see this legislation
introduced," said Jim Keddy, Director of the PICO California
Project and founder, along with the 100% Campaign, of Californians
for Healthy Kids. "This represents a groundswell of
support from people across the state committed to ensuring
that every child in California has access to health care."
A recent study by the UCLA Center for Health
Policy Research showed that the number of uninsured children
in California decreased by nearly 500,000 over the last two
years due to the effectiveness of public insurance programs.
Nearly nine out of California's ten million children now has
health insurance.
"We've already made tremendous progress
in insuring our most valuable asset--our children," said
Wendy Lazarus, Co-President of The Children's Partnership
and spokesperson for the 100% Campaign, a collaboration of
Children Now, Children's Defense Fund and The Children's Partnership.
"But roughly one million children are still uninsured.
The legislation introduced today will help finish the job."
Despite recent gains, an increasing number
of middle-class families are not covered by employer coverage
and can no longer afford to purchase insurance, and many low-income
families find themselves stymied by long, complex applications
and the confusion created by a myriad of health programs.
Recognizing California's current budget constraints,
the legislation focus on improving the efficiency of existing
publicly-funded state insurance programs, including modernizing
and simplifying how children get enrolled and stay enrolled
in coverage. The majority of uninsured children qualify for
either Healthy Families or Medi-Cal, but they are not enrolled.
"We need to stop spending public funds
creating needless bureaucracy that keeps people out,"
said Lazarus. "This legislation will simplify the process
of applying for health insurance."
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
coverage they need to grow up strong and healthy.
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.
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