About Healthy Kids: In the News
Good health: local group wants all children to receive medical care
Published on December 2, 2005 © 2005 - The Press Democrat
Page: B6
Every child should have access to regular physicals, vaccinations and a doctor's care when sick or injured.
But too often, uninsured children fall between the cracks. In fact, it's estimated that 5,300 Sonoma County children don't receive regular health care because their parents don't know that they are eligible for public programs.
Proponents of Sonoma County's Healthy Children program want to change this by creating a seamless application system for public health services. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors was presented with a proposal that would bring Healthy Children closer to this admirable goal.
But the group has even bigger plans: To provide health insurance coverage to an additional 2,700 children who currently aren't eligible for services because their parents lack residency documentation or earn too much to qualify for public assistance.
To do this, about $11 million will be needed over a five-year period. Contributions from local hospitals and the Kaiser Permanente Children's Health Plan are a good start, but Healthy Kids must raise another $1.3 million. For the children's sake, we wish them success.