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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
For Media Assistance
A Broad Array of Legislative, Business
and Community Leaders Rally Support for an Initiative Geared
at Providing Health Coverage to All California Children
Sacramento, CA--At a Statewide Town Hall
meeting held in Sacramento, Californians for Healthy Kids,
a project sponsored by PICO California and the 100% Campaign,
announced today a campaign to help promote and secure health
coverage for all children in California. Key state leaders
including, Kim Belshe, Secretary of Health & Human Services,
Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Senate President Pro Tem
Don Perata joined other key legislators and more than 3,000
healthcare advocates, religious leaders, community organizers,
teachers, business leaders and political representatives
from throughout the state to launch this effort and outline
the importance of health coverage for all children.
The campaign serves to bring a diverse audience
together to introduce and discuss an initiative designed to
extend healthcare access for all children. Through this effort,
Californians for Healthy Kids hopes to attract attention to
the child healthcare issue and generate legislative support
at the statewide level.
"Ensuring health coverage for every child
is a critical social investment that extends benefits beyond
the healthcare arena," said Jim Keddy, Executive Director
of PICO California, a sponsoring partner of the Californians
for Healthy Kids campaign. "Children with access to care
have consistently demonstrated more success in school and
families of insured children avoid the constant risk of being
overwhelmed with a financial burden brought on by a more
serious illness. Comprehensive health coverage is absolutely
the foundation for a healthy and secure future for our children."
Recent data indicates that significant progress
has been made in reducing the number of uninsured children
in California. According to the UCLA Center for Health Policy
Research, the number of uninsured children has steadily decreased
by an estimated 490,000 children between 2001 and 2003. It
has also been determined that nearly 9 million of California's
10 million children have health insurance coverage and of
the one million children without health coverage, approximately
55 percent are eligible for existing insurance programs. The
foundation has been set to secure health coverage for every
child in California.
The Californians for Healthy Kids campaign
objectives are as follows:
- Create a public/private initiative that will allow all
children in California, from ages 0-21, to have access to
health coverage
- Build on the existing programs that currently insure
Californian's children and modernize the complex processes
that exist in current public programs
- Promote voluntary opportunities for employers to participate
in health programs to cover employee dependents
- Develop a mechanism for sustainable financing for the
public/private program, including maximizing federal dollars
for public health insurance programs
A public opinion poll sponsored by the California
Endowment indicates high levels of public support for comprehensive
health coverage for all children. An astounding 78 percent
of voters overwhelming support the plan for a public/private
initiative and 73 percent support the financing mechanisms
that would call on employers, families and the government
to contribute.
"The evidence is clear that the goal of health
coverage for all children is within reach," 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. "The people
of our state want it. Our children need it. It's the smart
thing the do and the right thing to do. We know the solutions.
It's affordable, realistic and doable."
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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