FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 3, 2007
For Media Assistance

Crucial Children's Piece of Health Care Reform Continues to Move Forward

Sacramento–Continuing on its legislative path, SB 32 (Steinberg), a bill that would help bring health coverage to every child in California, passed out of Assembly Health Committee today.

“We are pleased about the support for this bill, as well as the continued focus on reforming California’s health care system,” said Ted Lempert, president, Children Now.  “We are closer than we’ve ever been to truly expanding health coverage in California and we are thrilled to see children as the centerpiece of this discussion.”

SB 32, along with its companion bill AB 1, will finish the job of ensuring that all California children have access to affordable, comprehensive health insurance so that each child has the opportunity to grow up healthy and strong. The legislation would also ease the Medi-Cal and Healthy Families enrollment process for families and help children stay covered for as long as they are eligible.

SB 32 and AB 1 provide the blueprint for how health coverage could be expanded to all children.  Legislators must find a viable way to finance these important policy changes to make health coverage access a reality for all California children.

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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.

United Ways of California is a state association of local United Ways and is a strong advocate of finding a statewide solution to cover all kids in this state. United Ways work closely with local community and business leaders, legislators and others to promote this achievable and important goal.