FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
For Media Assistance

Senate Action Needed This Month: Children's Health Coverage At Risk

SACRAMENTO, California – On behalf of Californians for Healthy Kids, Jim Keddy, Director of PICO California, issued the following statement today on AB X1 1 and its pending vote in the State Senate. Californians for Healthy Kids is a coalition comprised of The Children's Partnership, Children Now, Children's Defense Fund California, and PICO California.

"Health care reform that offers coverage for all California children must remain the top priority for California leaders returning to Sacramento this week. This is especially true for those in the State Senate, who are scheduled to vote later this month on AB X1 1—the health care reform proposal passed by the Assembly and supported by the Governor.

"The most immediate, critical action is for the Senate Health Committee to vote on AB X1 1 on January 16. If the Committee wants to ensure all children have health insurance, we need their 'yes' vote. Otherwise, health care reform dies, as does the opportunity to cover all children this year.

"The window of opportunity to advance comprehensive health care reform is now. AB X1 1 provides the best chance right now to expand coverage to all California children.

"If action is not taken quickly to enact health care reform and cover all children, our state will take a giant step backward. Without reform, 87,000 California children will be at risk of losing their current health coverage, as local children's health initiatives begin to run out of money.

"In addition, the 763,000 uninsured California children who currently go without the vaccinations, check-ups, medications, and doctor's visits they need to grow up healthy and strong, will continue to suffer if reform doesn't happen soon.

"The state budget deficit should not be an excuse to delay these health care reform efforts. In fact, this budget situation points to the greater need for this reform now. The current health care proposal will generate new, dedicated revenue and draw upon additional federal funding, to help pay for the coverage expansion. These new revenues will help to stabilize health coverage programs in California, protect them from any potential future budget crisis, and save the state money in the long run as we invest in less costly preventive care.

"Children should not have to wait any longer for health coverage. The Senate has an opportunity to make California the nation's health care leader by passing AB X1 1, a comprehensive solution to the problems facing our health care system. We cannot let this opportunity fall through our hands when reform and coverage for all is so close."

The 100% Campaign, a collaborative effort of Children Now, Children's Defense Fund and The Children's Partnership, 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.