Jun
1
Written by:
Dan Besse
6/1/2007
To make progress in closing that gap, the N.C. House has proposed sliding-scale fee access to the state children's health insurance program for children from families making between 200% and 300% of the federal poverty level. This would provide the opportunity for affordable health care for another 38,000 North Carolina children.
These are children from families where one or both parents are working, but at their level of income can't afford the high cost of health insurance on the private market. Helping those children is not all we need to do to close the health care gap, but it's a very good step.
Unfortunately, the Senate's version of the budget does not take that step.
In my view, of all the unacceptable places to cut, this leads the list.
It is already a moral disgrace that nearly 1.4 million North Carolinians have no health care coverage of any kind. That over two hundred thousand of the uninsured are children is even worse.
However, some legislators have placed a higher priority on eliminating the remaining "temporary" taxes this year. Nearly everything else financially is being fit into that framework. The results included cutting this critical item.
I like tax cuts too, but not at that price. The House made the better choice, to substantially reduce the number of uninsured children this year. The Senate should follow suit.
Now that both chambers have passed a budget proposal, the negotiations to resolve the differences will begin.
This is one of those moments when an informed and compassionate public can make the difference. Poor working families are not a naturally influential lobbying group, so we have to speak for them.
Please contact your state Senator now and tell them that reducing the number of children who lack health insurance is an item at the top of your priority list—and it should be on theirs too. The Senate should agree to the House position on expanding access to health care for children.
If you don't have your Senator's name or contact information, go to www.ncleg.net and look down the right-hand side of the page to "Who represents me?" and type in your home zip code. If you know your Senator's name but don't have their contact information, use the "Member Look Up" function a little higher on the page.
Let's get a wave of contacts going on this critical priority now!
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