****************************************************************** Californians for Healthy Kids Update – August 25, 2005 ****************************************************************** http://www.100percentcampaign.org 1. Children’s Health Insurance Bills (AB772, AB1199) heading for final Floor votes 2. Cover California’s Kids: The California Endowment’s Media Campaign 3. New research released on children’s health insurance 4. Resources for Action- New Spanish Additions! 5. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe * Permission to forward or reprint the content herein is granted with complete attribution. View back issues of this e-update on the Web at: http://www.100percentcampaign.org/take-action/ud-index.htm ************************************************* Dear children's health supporters, The 100% Campaign and PICO California thank you for your continued 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. ************************************************* 1. Legislative Update: SB 437, AB 772 and AB 1199 The legislature is back in session with only two weeks before the September 9th deadline to send bills this year to the Governor for signature or veto. AB 772 (Chan / Frommer/ Escutia) and SB 437 (Escutia/ Alquist/ Chan/ Midgen/ Perata), which create the California Healthy Kids program, continue to successfully move toward final passage. On August 25th, the Appropriations Committees voted the bills off the suspense files and have sent them to the Senate and Assembly Floors for full votes. The bill authors, together with legislative leadership, have decided to proceed with final Floor votes on AB772 in both the Senate and Assembly, so that it can be sent to the Governor this year for action. SB 437 will remain on the Assembly Floor for consideration in early 2006 if necessary. ACTION NEEDED: If AB 1199 and AB 772 successfully pass out of the Legislature by the September 9th deadline, the Governor will have until October 9th to sign or veto the bills. Your voice in support of children’s health insurance is critical in the coming month. Please write or call the governor to urge him to keep his commitment to covering all kids in California by signing AB772 and AB1199: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger State Capitol Building Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916-445-2841 Fax: 916-445-4633 To send an Electronic Mail please visit: http://www.govmail.ca.gov For additional contact information, please go to: www.governor.ca.gov Click on “Contact the Governor.” ************************************************* 2. Cover California’s Kids: The California Endowment’s Media Campaign The California Endowment this week will launch a radio and print media campaign to raise awareness of the need to provide health care coverage for all of California’s children and to let the public know just how close we are to reaching this goal. Many of your organizations have signed on to this effort, called the “Cover California’s Kids Campaign,” which shares similar goals to Californians for Healthy Kids, and is not focused on particular legislative solutions. This new public education campaign will go a long way to continue spreading the word about the need to cover all kids. Please sign up today to be listed in support of this new effort. You can sign up online at http://www.covercaliforniaskids.org. ************************************************* 3. New research released on children’s health insurance A. UCLA’s Report on California’s Uninsured A new report from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, “The State of Health Insurance in California: Findings from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey” shows that: • Nearly 1 million children were uninsured all or part of the past 12 months. • The uninsured rate for children in poverty fell by 6.9%. • Three out of four uninsured are in working families. Two-thirds of children in Medi-Cal or Healthy Families had at least one parent who was employed. • The main reason the uninsured give for not having coverage is: “I can’t afford it.” For more information and to access the full report visit: http://www.healthpolicy.ucla.edu/pubs/files/SHIC03_RT_081505.pdf B. Covering Children – The Economic Advantage in Each California Region The California Endowment released estimates for the impact of children’s health insurance by region in California. The reports provide an overview of the status of children’s uninsurance and estimates of annual county revenues from enrolling eligible uninsured children and youth ages 0-18 into Medi-Cal and Healthy Families. The fact sheets also follow the successes of local children’s health initiatives (CHI) and identify economic returns from investments in public health insurance programs. Each regional fact sheet provides state and county-specific estimates of eligibility and anticipated enrollment in public insurance (Medi-Cal and Healthy Families), annual state and federal revenues by enrolling children and youth in public insurance, and annual distribution of Medi-Cal and Healthy Families revenues across health sectors in 2003. *Please visit the following link to view fact sheets by region: http://www.100percentcampaign.org/resources/publications/fs-healthykids-tce-07- 05.htm ************************************************* 4. Resources for Action * Please visit our website to view the NEW Spanish Californians for Healthy Kids fact sheet and sign on to our goals sheet: Fact sheet: http://www.100percentcampaign.org/assets/pdf/fs-healthy-families- spanish-050517.pdf Sign on sheet: http://www.100percentcampaign.org/priorities/healthy-kids-signup- spanish.htm * Please visit our websites to learn more about this effort at: www.100percentcampaign.org and www.picocalifornia.org * Join a growing list of Californians for Healthy Kids supporters by signing on to our goals: http://www.100percentcampaign.org/priorities/healthy-kids-signup.htm * Sign on in support of the bills: send letters to the offices of Senator Escutia and Assemblymember Chan. See the SAMPLE support letters posted on the 100% Campaign website at: http://www.100percentcampaign.org/priorities/healthy-kids-main.htm * Bill information, including records of votes, is available at: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov. * Locate your legislators: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html ************************************************* 5. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe Include one of the following messages in the BODY of an email to: info@100percentcampaign.org SUBSCRIBE UNSUBSCRIBE