Wednesday, May 10, 2006
American families put their kids first every day. They work hard to give their children opportunities which they never had. It's called the American dream.
But in Washington, D.C., today, our government is making that dream almost unachievable, as 12 million children in America go without health insurance.
Since that time, more than 800,000 people have signed up to be citizen co-sponsors and about 25 national healthcare, children's and labor organizations - representing more than 22 million Americans - have joined as endorsers and promoters of Kids First. In one week alone, more than 20,000 people picked up the phone and called those offices to share their personal pleas on why we desperately need this plan.
It's no wonder people are so upset about Washington's indifference. One-third of kids with asthma nationwide are suffering without the medication they need. In the wealthiest nation on the face of the earth, that is actually nothing short of a disgrace.
Insuring every child will not require big tax hikes or new bureaucracy. We could provide health insurance coverage for every kid in America if we simply roll back the president's tax cut for individuals that is making over $300,000 a year.
Another way to look at it is that this could insure every child in America for the next 10 years for half of what it has cost us to occupy Iraq over the past three years.
The benefits of providing healthcare for our children would be actually numerous. We can reduce avoidable hospitalizations by 23 percent. Children enrolled in public insurance programs rate 69 percent better in measures of school performance than those without coverage. And the long-term cost savings in healthcare, education, job training and also reduced stress on our families are incalculable.
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