Health Coverage for Kids: It's Completely Unfair
05 12 07 - 00:00
The big man in front of me was holding back. He was trying not to swear. "It's completely unfair," he roared, "I work my whole life. I get a little raise, and now they tell me I make too much for my kid to get health insurance! I can't afford health insurance for him. It's hard enough to pay the rent. Other people come in here, they don't work at all, and their kids are covered!"
His son, who had ADHD, was doing well on a long-acting pill. But that pill cost nearly a hundred dollars a month, money his father didn't have. So Johnny (whose real name isn't Johnny) would have to take one pill in the morning, and another at noon. He would have to go to the school nurse to get his medication. The other kids in school would know.
But even if I prescribed the cheaper drug, I couldn't see Johnny often enough to monitor and adjust his medication. The visits cost too much. Our hospital has a sliding fee plan, which would help somewhat, but not enough. I wouldn't be able to give Johnny the quality of care he deserved and needed.
Johnny's father was angry, and I couldn't blame him. With his recent raise, his income had topped the cutoff for our Ohio State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP. But his job didn't provide a family health insurance that he could afford. So he - and his son - were out of luck.
SCHIP, which has been around for about 10 years, was designed to give health insurance to children whose parents made too much for Medicaid, but too little to afford private health insurance. The program helps children and families, and it saves money. Children with health insurance get preventive care, and they come in at the first signs of illness. Without it, they stay home until they are really sick, then go to the emergency room, where their care costs much, much more.
With the price of health insurance shooting up, it makes sense to raise the income cutoff for SCHIP, because more children need the help. But the administration in Washington has taken steps to make it harder, not easier, for children to get SCHIP. Under the new rules, children in families making two and a half times the poverty level, or more, would have to be uninsured for a full year before they could qualify. Congress recently passed bills allowing states to offer SCHIP to families making up to three or four times the poverty level. Most families at this level of income - like Johnny's - can't afford private insurance. They need and deserve the help. But President Bush has threatened to veto those laws.
Johnny's dad was boiling, and I can't blame him. If you're mad too, or if you just think it makes good sense for all kids to have health insurance, let your US representatives and senators know. Just surf over to http://www.congress.org/, and send a quick email message. Every child deserves health insurance. Parents who work hard to get ahead shouldn't pay with their children's health.