More than 162,000 eligible children in California are at risk of falling through safety net and losing hope of needed affordable health insurance coverage.
During this moment of severe economic hardship for California's working families, a program that has served as the health care life-line for more than 900,000 California children risks seeing its doors close to eligible children – for the first time in its more than 10-year history. Truly, this could not come at a worse time. Never before has the Healthy Families Program been more needed; enrollment into the low-cost Program is at an all-time high of an average 27,125 children per month.
Last week, the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board (MRMIB), the agency that administers the Healthy Families Program, announced that they had been under-funded by $17.2 million.
Required to operate within financial means, MRMIB staff recommend wait-listing all children who apply for Healthy Families coverage beginning December 18, 2008. This will lead to more than 162,000 eligible children being denied needed health coverage by June 30, 2009. MRMIB will discuss the proposed waitlist and hear comments from the public on Wednesday, November 19, 2008, and will vote on the proposal in December. Unless a solution is found, doors would close on December 18, 2008.
Regrettably, in Governor Schwarzenegger's special session proposals, he chose to ignore the $17.2 million gap in funding.
"We understand the magnitude of the economic crisis. Yet, closing the door on the Healthy Families Program for the first time in its history is simply unconscionable. More than ever, California families are relying on these essential services that provide affordable, comprehensive health coverage for their children," stated Wilma Chan, Vice President of Children's Health and Education Policy at Children Now. "We call on the Legislature and the Governor to place a high priority on children's health and continue to fully fund Healthy Families in the special session."
This is just one of a number of budget cuts to Medi-Cal and Healthy Families that will lead to nearly 500,000 children losing their health coverage. This is occurring at a time when families are struggling to keep their heads above water during this economic downturn—when families need the support of programs, such as Medi-Cal and Healthy Families.
"When the Assembly Budget Committee meets this Friday, legislators have an opportunity to address this and other cuts to children's health coverage. They should work to ensure that all children who are eligible for Healthy Families and Medi-Cal get the care and services they need to remain in school, and out of California's emergency rooms. Any short-term savings from keeping children uninsured will be outweighed by the long-term costs of children not obtaining the preventative and ongoing health care that they need," concluded Ms. Chan.
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Comments
#1 Why we are being taxed..?
Again, California is going to be taxed because of the incompetence of the Liberal state assembly.
Overpopulation, congestion, urban sprawl, pollution, environmental damage, crime, diminishing resources, Diseases, lack of affordable housing, depressed wages, underground economic, fraudulent documents, identity theft, tax evasion, soaring crime rate, increased tax burdens, overcrowded schools, uneducated children, overcrowded prisons, inadequate health care, the balkanization of our communities and a large and growing population with loyalty to other Nations. Just read this disturbing revelation of costs, that our government skims from our paycheck to pay for the welfare programs at the Federal, State, county and city level of government. A massive financial impact on our economy by importing the worlds poor. THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT 'THE RULE OF LAW' BUT OVERPOPULATION? Learn about many positive legal cases won at www.judicialwatch.org fighting for citizens rights. We are beginning to stop the open border zealots and immigration special interest lobby.
Go to www.numbersusa.com for immigration facts not lies.
#2 Healthy Families
I signed for healthy familes during this past summer, it has been a real life saver for my children. I am a proud American, who suffered a job loss when Country Wide laid me off. With a mortgage payment at $4500. a month and two car notes at $1200. paying for healthcare for my kids was not an option, when I heard about healthy families I jumped on it.