The Schwarzenegger administration states that enrollment in the
state’s health insurance programs
– such as Healthy Families, MediCal and California Children’s
Services – must be capped if the programs are to be saved. For
example, placing 159,000 children on a waiting list for health care
by fiscal year 2004-05 is necessary to save Healthy Families from
bankruptcy, according to the administ
ration’s reasoning.
The Schwarzenegger administration states that enrollment in the state’s health insurance programs – such as Healthy Families, MediCal and California Children’s Services – must be capped if the programs are to be saved. For example, placing 159,000 children on a waiting list for health care by fiscal year 2004-05 is necessary to save Healthy Families from bankruptcy, according to the administration’s reasoning.
However, the facts do not bear out these claims. At roughly $30 per child per month in state dollars, the Healthy Families program is a smart investment in children’s healthy development. Children with health insurance get needed and timely health care, allowing them to stay in school and avoiding severe and costly health conditions. Healthy Families is also a great deal for California – for every dollar our state spends on Healthy Families, the federal government gives the state two dollars. Already, California severely under-spends its federal allocation for this program; an enrollment cap would result in over $60 million in additional federal dollars going unspent.
There are other choices for getting our fiscal house in order. When families need to balance their own budgets, they do not cut off their child’s asthma medication in order to avoid going bankrupt. Instead, they may work extra hours or get a second job. Similarly, in these tough times, California should take every opportunity to maximize revenue.
Kristen Testa,
The Children’s Partnership,
Catherine Teare,
Children Now,
Deena Lahn,
Children’s Defense Fund
