Having Enough (In a Have-It-All World)

Did you know California could be the first state to guarantee health coverage for all children? Can you imagine it?

So many mothers and fathers are forced into taking or keeping undesirable jobs solely to ensure our kids have health insurance. Many people are shocked to hear that my teacher-husband’s former school district (and most school districts in San Diego) did not cover healthcare for kids (or spouses) of teachers (thankfully his current district does, although none of the teachers are confident it won’t be taken away at some point).

An unforgivable effect of a flawed system, leaving children and families without access to quality healthcare. An obvious obstacle to any family trying to find a balance and make ends meet. What would happen if all kids were guaranteed health coverage? Would “having enough” have a different definition?

Here are a couple factoids I just got from Moms Rising:

* Nearly 9 million children in the U.S. (that’s 12% of all children) do not have healthcare insurance. And in California, about 763,000 children in California are uninsured.

* While there are current state programs to provide health care coverage for some low-income children, these programs are not available for all kids, and employers are dropping coverage at an alarming rate. And as we all know, dollars just don’t stretch as far in California as they do elsewhere, so our definition of “low-income” might be different than in some other states.

And here’s where you can SIGN THE PETITION NOW to support this California legislation to cover all kids. The petition will be presented by Moms Rising to the Governor and California Legislature in a few weeks. If you’re so inclined, please sign, and spread the word!

Also, please share your thoughts or stories on how universal health coverage for children (or lack thereof) would or does affect your life.