Update to the Field – May 2, 2005 In this email: 1. Children’s Health Legislation Moves Forward With Bipartisan Support 2. News Media Takes Note of Children’s Health Insurance Legislation 3. Faith Communities Step Out in Support of Legislation 4. New Reports Point to Importance of Health Insurance Reform, Expansion 5. Learn more about Californians for Healthy Kids Dear children's health supporters, The 100% Campaign and PICO California thank you for your support of the Californians for Healthy Kids effort. Our collective success in securing health insurance for all children in California depends on the involvement of everyone who cares about children’s health. Indeed, we have made great progress since the last e-alert. Please visit the websites of The 100% Campaign and Pico California (contact information listed below), sign on to our goals and/or the legislation, and spread the word about this important campaign to your colleagues and legislators! We greatly appreciate your interest and support in finishing the job of insuring all of California's children. 1. Children’s Health Legislation Moves Forward With Bipartisan Support After a month of intensive policy committee hearings, legislation (SB 437/AB 772) to ensure coverage for all children are among the few large coverage expansion proposals to remain viable this legislative year. Notably, the overwhelming and wide-ranging support has moved these bills to have the distinction of receiving votes from both Democrats and Republicans – a rarity in the current legislative environment, where most health bills succeed or fail in these committees along partisan lines. On April 20th, SB 437 (Escutia/Alquist) passed out of Senate Banking, Finance & Insurance Committee by a vote of 6 to 3. Legislators in support included: Figueroa (D- Sunol), Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), Machado (D-Linden), Ortiz (D-Sacramento), Scott (D-Altadena), and Speier (D-Hillsborough). Senators opposing were Cox (R-Fair Oaks), Denham (R-Merced) and Hollingsworth (R-Murieta). There were no votes recorded for Senators Maldonado (R-Santa Maria) and Murray (D-Los Angeles). Senator Escutia, author of the bill, presented SB 437 with Reverend Carol Carter from Foothills United Methodist Church in Cameron Park (El Dorado County), Hank Ryan from Small Business California, and representatives of the 100% Campaign. The next week, on April 26th, AB 772 (Chan/Frommer) passed out of Assembly Health Committee with a vote of 11 to 1. Legislators in support included: Aghazarian (R- Stockton), Berg (D-Eureka), Chan (D-Oakland), Cohn (D-Saratoga), Dymally (D- Compton), Frommer (D-Los Angeles), Gordon (D-El Segundo), Jones (D-Sacramento), Montanez (D-San Fernando), Negrete McLeod (D-Chino), and Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles). Assemblymember Strickland (R-Moorpark) voted against. Assemblymembers Nakanishi (R-Lodi) and Richman (R-Northridge) did not record votes. Assemblywoman Chan, author of the bill, presented AB 772 along with Reverend Ramon Bejarano from Sacred Heart Parish in Turlock (Stanislaus County) and representatives from the 100% Campaign. Numerous supporters of the bill were present, including Margaret Teichert, a business representative from Sacramento and representatives from the Catholic Diocese of Stockton bringing with them supporters from San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties. Your support is still needed: * Keep those letters coming! Policymakers in Sacramento need to see broad public support for children’s health insurance coverage. (If you have already sent an organizational letter of support, thank you – your efforts are paying off.) Both bills now move to the Appropriations Committees of their respective houses. Please send letters of support by Friday, May 6. * Please send a letter of support for SB 437 to Senator Carole Migden (D-San Francisco), Chair of Senate Appropriations Committee and cc: Senator Martha Escutia (D-Whittier), the bill author: Senator Carole Midgen Senator Martha Escutia Chair, Senate Appropriations Committee State Capitol, Room 5080 State Capitol, Room 2059 Sacramento, CA 95814 Sacramento, CA 95814 FAX: 916-327-8755 FAX: 916-445-4722 * Please send a letter of support for AB 772 Assemblymember Judy Chu (D- Monterey Park), Chair of Assembly Appropriations Committee and cc: Assemblymember Wilma Chan (D-Oakland), the bill author: Assemblymember Judy Chu Assemblymember Wilma Chan Chair, Assembly Appropriations Committee State Capitol, Room 6005 State Capitol, Room 2114 Sacramento, CA 95814 Sacramento, CA 95814 FAX: 916-319-2116 FAX: 916-319-2149 * See the SAMPLE support letters posted on the 100% Campaign website at: http://www.100percentcampaign.org/priorities/healthy-kids-main.htm Please email a copy of your letters to Alani Cridge of the 100% Campaign: acridge@childrennow.org * Information on AB 772 (Chan) on the California Legislative Information site: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi- bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_772&sess=CUR&house=B&author=chan * Information on SB 437 (Escutia) on the California Legislative Information site: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi- bin/postquery?bill_number=sb_437&sess=CUR&house=B&author=escutia * Detailed summary of SB 437 and AB 772: http://www.100percentcampaign.org/resources/publications/fs-healthy-families- 050330.htm * Ask your legislators to co-author SB 437 or AB 772! All legislators received an invitation to co-author the bills from either Senator Escutia or Assemblymember Chan. In addition to the principal co-authors Assemblymember Frommer (AB 772) and Senator Alquist (SB 437), the following legislators have signed on as co-authors: AB 772: Berg (D-Eureka), Cohn (D-Saratoga), Coto (D-San Jose), Dymally (D- Compton), Jones (D-Sacramento), Klehs (D-San Leandro), Pavley (D-Agoura Hills), Torrico (D-Newark), Yee (D-San Francisco); SB 437: Senators: Alquist (D-Santa Clara), Ducheny (D-San Diego), Kuehl (D-Santa Monica); Assemblymembers: Dymally (D-Compton), Jones (D-Sacramento), Laird (D- Santa Cruz) and Pavley (D-Agoura Hills). If your legislator is has joined as a co-author or voted for AB772 or SB 437, please call and thank them. If not, please encourage them to sign on in support children’s health insurance. * Locate your legislators: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html 2. News Media Takes Note of Children’s Health Insurance Legislation On Sunday May 1st, the San Francisco Chronicle editorial board endorsed our effort to expand health insurance to all California children. This strong position was enhanced by an op-ed from Assemblymember and AB 772 author Wilma Chan (D-Oakland). In recognition of Cover the Uninsured Week, the S.F. Chronicle also ran articles on the high rate and consequences of uninsurance in California, as well as on a number of competing health care proposals. San Francisco Chronicle EDITORIAL Health insurance for all kids http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/05/01/EDGFVC9H9N1.DTL Making sure the children are insured: Assembly plan would help eliminate cracks Wilma Chan http://sfgate.com/cgi- bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/05/01/INGQFCGC191.DTL Critical condition - 6.6 million uninsured in nation's largest state http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/05/01/INGCGCFQK81.DTL Californians for Healthy Kids is also receiving national attention. Last Thursday Wendy Lazarus, co-president of The Children’s Partnership and representative of the 100% Campaign, appeared on the Tavis Smiley TV show on PBS to talk about CA’s children’s health effort. The show aired in approximately 100 cities across the U.S. http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200504/20050428.html 3. Faith Communities Step Out in Support of Legislation Over 300 United Methodists converged on the Capitol to support health coverage for all California’s kids as part of a “Children’s Day of Action” at the Capitol on Wednesday, April 20th. The event was directed by Bishop Beverly Shamana and was attended by United Methodists from as far away as Fresno. Participants held a rally on the steps of the Capitol and heard from speakers including Assembly Health Chair and AB 772 author, Wilma Chan, Assembly Majority Leader and AB 772 principal co-author Dario Frommer, Senator Wes Chesbro, MRMIB Director Lesley Cummings and representatives from the offices of SB 437 Author Senator Martha Escutia and Assemblyman Dave Jones. Following the rally, participants held a series of legislative visits and participated in the Senate Banking, Finance and Insurance Committee hearing to testify in support of SB 437. On April 26th, 800 people participated in Catholic Lobby Day. The day's events were led by the California Catholic Conference with assistance from PICO California. Children's health insurance was one of the central issues of the day, which included trainings and legislative visits. Participants from the Stockton Diocese packed the Assembly Health Committee hearing on AB 772, testifying to the importance of health insurance coverage and offering vocal support for the bill. 4. New Reports Point to Importance of Health Insurance Reform, Expansion A recent report sponsored by The California Endowment, “How Much Does Churning in Medi-Cal Cost?” studied the stability of health insurance enrollment of a group of children enrolled in Medi-Cal in December 2003. The report finds that stable health care coverage is important for establishing a relationship with a physician, receiving adequate primary and preventive care and timely and appropriate treatment of diseases and chronic conditions. The report’s findings suggest that: * Approximately 600,000 children, or 18% of the Medi-cal enrolled children, were disenrolled at least once in the course of three years, and subsequently regained coverage. Over one quarter of the children who were disenrolled and subsequently re-enrolled had breaks of more than seven months. * California is spending over $100 million to re-enroll these children. Improving Medi-Cal enrollment stability could make significant additional funds available for children’s health coverage. The report is available at: http://www.100percentcampaign.org/resources/publications/misc-050502a.htm Read more in the Sacramento Bee’s April 21 related article: “Medi-Cal “churning” costs states,” http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/12761764p-13613115c.html A second report released last month found that the Santa Clara County Healthy Kids program fills a crucial health insurance gap for children. Since it was launched in 2001, Healthy Kids has insured nearly 30,000 children in Santa Clara County. An April 2005 evaluation found that, once enrolled in Healthy Kids, the proportion of kids with a regular doctor rose dramatically (from 50% to 89%), the proportion of children visiting a doctor in the past six months nearly doubled (from 30% without Healthy Kids to 54% with Healthy Kids), and the proportion of children who needed physician care in the prior six months and did not get it fell (from 22% to 10%). The report also found that virtually all of the children covered by Healthy Kids had parents who worked and the vast majority were long time Santa Clara residents. The Santa Clara County Healthy Kids Evaluation is available at: http://www.100percentcampaign.org/resources/publications/misc-050502b.htm 5. Learn more about Californians for Healthy Kids * Please visit our website at: www.100percentcampaign.org – or call 510-763-2444 ext.122 – for more information on Californians for Healthy Kids and the 100% Campaign. * For more information on the PICO California Project, visit www.picocalifornia.org . * Join a growing list of Californians for Healthy Kids supporters (see the email attachment) by signing on in support of our goals at: http://www.100percentcampaign.org/priorities/healthy-kids-signup.htm