100% Campaign:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
For Media Assistance
California Leaders Launch Campaign to Insure Every California Child
UCLA health policy experts report 487,000 decrease in number of uninsured California children, placing solutions in sight.
SACRAMENTO Today at the State Capitol, an unprecedented bipartisan array of teachers, business leaders, parents, health care providers, faith leaders, labor representatives, and children's advocates announced a new statewide campaign focused on insuring every child in California.
The leaders of the 'Californians for Healthy Kids' campaign will reach out to business and community leaders, organize individual and organizational supporters in every city and county, and lead a high-intensity advocacy effort with state and local elected leaders. The groups will also work closely with the Legislature, the Governor's office, and state agencies to develop successful policy options for insuring all Californian children.
'Today, it is within our reach to make sure that every child in California has access to affordable health care,' said Wendy Lazarus, Co-President of The Children's Partnership and spokesperson for the 100% Campaign, a collaboration of Children Now, Children's Defense Fund and The Children's Partnership. 'The people of our state want it. Our children need it. We know the solutions. It's affordable. It's achievable. It's the smart thing to do and the right thing to do. And it can be done over the next three years.'
The announcement coincides with new data, released today by the UCLA Center of Health Policy Research, showing that the number of uninsured children in California decreased by nearly 500,000 over the last two years due to the effectiveness of public insurance programs. California is now poised to finish the job and cover the remaining uninsured children.
"This research is good news for California's children because it shows that solutions are within reach," said Dr. E. Richard Brown, founding director of the Center and lead author of the study. "We have made great progress and cannot stop here."
The goals of the campaign target the increasing number of middle-class families whose children are not covered by employer coverage and who can no longer afford to purchase insurance, as well as low-income families whose efforts to apply for health coverage are often stymied by long, complex applications and the confusion created by a myriad of health programs.
Recognizing California's current budget constraints, the campaign is recommending that this year's policy efforts focus on improving the efficiency of existing publicly-funded state insurance programs, including modernizing and simplifying how children get enrolled and stay enrolled in coverage. The majority of uninsured children qualify for either Healthy Families or Medi-Cal, but they are not enrolled.
"Our first step should be to simplify the process of applying for health insurance and to stop spending government funding creating needless bureaucracy that keeps people out," said Jim Keddy, Director of the PICO California Project. Representatives from twenty faith-based community organizations affiliated with PICO California pledged to lead a massive grassroots campaign, based in 400 member congregations located in 73 cities, in support of the effort.
"We want to see in California a system in which every newborn leaves the hospital with an insurance card, and children can be easily enrolled when they go to the doctor's office to get shots or when they enroll in school," said Ted Lempert, President of Children Now.
The initiative has received unprecedented support from educators, since research has shown that children with access to health care have higher attendance rates and perform significantly better in school.
"Teachers can't teach to an empty desk," said Lloyd Porter, California Teachers Association Board Member and classroom teacher from Yorba Linda. "Educators know that healthy children are better students. Access to affordable health care and academic success will always be linked. It's time to make sure all kids have a healthy chance to learn."
"Just as California provides an education for every child in the state, we can provide the opportunity for health coverage for all children," said Carla Nino, President of the California State PTA. "No parent should have to choose between taking their child to the doctor and putting food on the table."
The new UCLA data shows that the number of businesses in California providing family health coverage is declining due to rising health care costs but public programs are picking up the slack.
"This initiative is a welcome breath of fresh air for the business community. We alone can't solve California's health care crisis, but we want to be part of the solution," said Betty Jo Toccoli, President of the California Small Business Association.
"Healthier kids mean a stronger economy and a more productive workforce," said Cheyenne Cook, Public Policy Manager for the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. "With the rising cost of premiums hurting everyone, the business community needs to support innovative efforts to insure more children and make health care more affordable."
Already ten counties have led the way in insuring all children by developing local health programs which provide coverage to children who fall through the cracks of our existing public/private programs. The new proposal is based on innovations developed at the county level and includes elements such as:
California's existing child health programs would be brought together under a single name, with one application, building on what works best in the existing programs.
New parents would have the opportunity to apply for health insurance for their newborn before they leave the hospital.
Families would be able to sign up for health coverage directly, through the Internet.
Small businesses, which currently cannot afford to provide family coverage to their workers, could "opt in" dependent children to the new lower-cost program.
The income eligibility level of Healthy Families would be raised to assist more middle class families.
"Every day we are proving that health care for all children is an achievable goal," said Howard A. Kahn, co-convener of the Children's Health Initiative of Greater Los Angeles and CEO of L.A. Care Health Plan. "Twenty seven counties that already have successful local initiatives or plans to do provide a great head start, and include the vast majority of kids in the state. But the only way to make our efforts sustainable and available to every child in California is to take this effort statewide."
"This approach of building on what works will allow us to leverage and more effectively use the resources we are already investing to finish the job of providing comprehensive health coverage for all children in California," said Beth Osthimer, Director of Children's Defense Fund— California.
The "Californians for Healthy Kids" campaign is uniquely poised to achieve this goal because of the breadth and diversity of its supporters.
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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.
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