FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, January 28, 2008
For Media Assistance

Children Lose Best Chance at Health Coverage
as Senate Clings to Status Quo
Health Care Reform Bill Would Have Covered All Children in California Starting Next Year

SACRAMENTO, California--On behalf of Californians for Healthy Kids, Jim Keddy, Director, PICO California, issued the following statement regarding today's vote in the Senate Health Committee on the health care reform proposal AB X1 1:

"With the defeat of AB X1 1 today, the State Senate Health Committee chose to forfeit the best opportunity to cover all of California's children and bring true and needed health care reform to all Californians. Instead, they voted, in effect, to maintain the status quo of today's current health care system, which leaves 763,000 children uninsured and an additional 87,000 children at risk of joining the ranks of the uninsured.

"Today the Committee allowed health care reform to die. With it died the opportunity of health coverage for hundreds of thousands of children in the state who must now continue to wake up every day without health coverage for the check-ups, immunizations and medications they need to lead healthy lives.

"This vote is devastating. Not only does this vote invalidate the hard work of coalitions developed over the last year, it represents a giant step backward in achieving true health care reform for Californians and for bringing health coverage to all children. With the failure of this health care reform legislation, tens of thousands of children are at risk of losing their current health coverage in the next year. In addition, the Senate failed to capitalize on new revenue sources and expanded federal funding that would have protected our health care system from the proposed budget cuts now and in the future.

"As children's advocates, we will continue to move forward on our commitment to find a way to bring health coverage to the uninsured children in our state. Over the years we have made significant progress in expanding coverage to California's children through important Medi-Cal, Healthy Families and Children's Health Initiative programs – and we will keep up the work to bring health coverage to all children this year. We are counting on policymakers who rejected AB X1 1 to step up to the plate and ensure coverage for all California children this year.

"Today, our Senate has failed California children, but we will keep fighting on their behalf and work to bring health coverage to all children."

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.