Groups Urge Coverage For All Children Under Health Overhaul

Leonie Campbell — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:45:00 GMT

Five leading civil rights groups have created a partnership urging Congress to pass legislation that provides all children with affordable, quality health insurance by the end of the year, representatives of the groups said Friday at a Capitol Hill briefing.

The National Council of La Raza (NCLA), the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), the National Association for the Advancement for Colored People (NAACP), the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) were joined by Neera Tanden, counselor for health reform in the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

The panelists said the expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) that went into effect this month will still leave an estimated five to six million children uninsured. The groups said they will be focusing their grassroots and lobbying efforts on ensuring that national health care legislation is passed this year and covers all children.

“Today is a call to action to keep momentum on health reform,” said Janet Murguía, NCLR president and CEO. “We have to keep the pressure on members of Congress . . . We have to keep moving forward.”

“This is the year to get it done,” said CDF President Marian Wright Edelman. “It’s long overdue.”

Panelists said health care legislation should cover all children and pregnant women, and ensure that the coverage is affordable. The group proposed establishing a national eligibility floor of 300 percent of the federal poverty level, with an affordable buy-in option on a sliding scale for Americans above that level.

The coalition also said children and pregnant women must have access to comprehensive benefits with emphasis on prevention, early detection, appropriate post-partum coverage, and culturally and linguistically appropriate services, among other things. American minority groups especially lack access to proper health care services, panelists said.

AAJC Deputy Director Vincent A. Eng said 12 percent of Asian American children are uninsured, for example, and one third of the Asian American community is limited English proficient. In addition, the American Indian youth suicide rate is three times the national average while the infant mortality rate is approximately 40 percent, according to Jacqueline Johnson Pata, executive director of the NCAI.

The groups also said Congress must create a simple and equitable health care system so the American people can understand how to achieve coverage. Health care overhaul should eliminate unnecessary paperwork and bureaucracy and employ automatic enrollment, they said.

Panelists also said a new health care system should treat all American children equally, regardless of their economic situation or location.

“There are not two classes of children,” Edelman said.

“Our children are our children no matter what state they are in,” said Benjamin Todd Jealous, president and CEO of the NAACP. “Coverage must be affordable.”

While the new partnership is advocating for full coverage of children and pregnant women, panelists said the ideal legislation would cover all Americans.

“Parents who aren’t covered don’t cover their children,” Tanden said. “We need to cover every child in America, but we also need to cover every American.”

By Melissa Attias, CQ Staff

Source: CQ HealthBeat News

17-Apr-09 4:45 PM

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Groups Urge Coverage For All Children Under Health Overhaul