An Action From MomsRising.org, Please Read...
Yesterday, in a heart stopping, jaw-dropping announcement, Governor Schwarzenegger's administration suggested entirely eliminating the Healthy Families Program as an option in order to help close the state's budget gap. [1] This highly successful program provides nearly one million children in California with affordable health insurance - health coverage that is critically needed in these tough times.
In other words, they are proposing cutting one million California kids off healthcare. One million. We can’t let that happen.
*Tell Governor Schwarzenegger and your CA legislators that cutting healthcare coverage for kids is fiscal folly: http://momsrising.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/t/9251/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27265
Here are three reasons why Governor Schwarzenegger's proposal isn't good for kids or for the state's fiscal bottom line:
1. Eliminating or cutting Healthy Families is short-sighted and only makes our budget problems worse. The Healthy Families Program could bring up to $1.5 billion federal matching dollars into California in the 2009 fiscal year. Yes, you read that right, we would be turning away matching federal money by reducing kids' health coverage.
2. Cutting kids' healthcare coverage penny wise, pound foolish. When children don't have continuous healthcare coverage, they are forced to seek medical attention in more costly emergency rooms and community clinics. Investing in preventative care through health coverage, such as Healthy Families, is more cost-effective than waiting until an illness becomes an expensive emergency or chronic condition.
3. Healthcare coverage for kids helps us save money in other areas. For example, research shows that insured kids have significant improvement in paying attention and keeping up with school activities compared to their previous performance when they were uninsured. [2] This makes sense: Everyone has trouble concentrating when they have an untreated illness! Therefore, by providing healthcare coverage for uninsured children, the state can get more from its investment in education.
An economic downturn, when more and more parents are losing their job-based healthcare coverage, is the worst possible time to propose cuts to vital healthcare coverage programs such as Healthy Families. Enrollment in Healthy Families is at an all-time high. Clearly, families need affordable healthcare coverage during the economic downturn. In fact, according to a recent study conducted by the UC Berkeley Labor Center, more than 300,000 children in California have lost employer-based coverage since November 2007. [3]
Tell Governor Schwarzenegger that his proposal to cut the Healthy Families Program just doesn't add up! http://momsrising.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/t/9251/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27265
All hands on deck! Please forward this message on right now to your friends, family, colleagues-- anyone who cares about the future health of our state and current health of our children.
Thank you!
Citations:
[1] http://www.sacbee.com/capitolandcalifornia/story/1883486.html
[2] M. Seid, J.W. Varmi, et. al., "The Impact of Realized Access to Care on Health-Related Quality of Life," Journal of Pediatrics, Vol. 149 (September 2006): 354.
[3] http://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/healthcare/no_recovery_in_sight09.pdf
In other words, they are proposing cutting one million California kids off healthcare. One million. We can’t let that happen.
*Tell Governor Schwarzenegger and your CA legislators that cutting healthcare coverage for kids is fiscal folly: http://momsrising.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/t/9251/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27265
Here are three reasons why Governor Schwarzenegger's proposal isn't good for kids or for the state's fiscal bottom line:
1. Eliminating or cutting Healthy Families is short-sighted and only makes our budget problems worse. The Healthy Families Program could bring up to $1.5 billion federal matching dollars into California in the 2009 fiscal year. Yes, you read that right, we would be turning away matching federal money by reducing kids' health coverage.
2. Cutting kids' healthcare coverage penny wise, pound foolish. When children don't have continuous healthcare coverage, they are forced to seek medical attention in more costly emergency rooms and community clinics. Investing in preventative care through health coverage, such as Healthy Families, is more cost-effective than waiting until an illness becomes an expensive emergency or chronic condition.
3. Healthcare coverage for kids helps us save money in other areas. For example, research shows that insured kids have significant improvement in paying attention and keeping up with school activities compared to their previous performance when they were uninsured. [2] This makes sense: Everyone has trouble concentrating when they have an untreated illness! Therefore, by providing healthcare coverage for uninsured children, the state can get more from its investment in education.
An economic downturn, when more and more parents are losing their job-based healthcare coverage, is the worst possible time to propose cuts to vital healthcare coverage programs such as Healthy Families. Enrollment in Healthy Families is at an all-time high. Clearly, families need affordable healthcare coverage during the economic downturn. In fact, according to a recent study conducted by the UC Berkeley Labor Center, more than 300,000 children in California have lost employer-based coverage since November 2007. [3]
Tell Governor Schwarzenegger that his proposal to cut the Healthy Families Program just doesn't add up! http://momsrising.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/t/9251/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27265
All hands on deck! Please forward this message on right now to your friends, family, colleagues-- anyone who cares about the future health of our state and current health of our children.
Thank you!
Citations:
[1] http://www.sacbee.com/capitolandcalifornia/story/1883486.html
[2] M. Seid, J.W. Varmi, et. al., "The Impact of Realized Access to Care on Health-Related Quality of Life," Journal of Pediatrics, Vol. 149 (September 2006): 354.
[3] http://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/healthcare/no_recovery_in_sight09.pdf