2009-09-28 - Health Coverage of 700,000 Children Saved!

On Tuesday, September 22, Governor Schwarzenegger signed legislation (AB1422) that prevents nearly 700,000 children from losing their Healthy Families health insurance coverage this year. Healthy Families provides low-cost medial, dental and vision coverage to children from low-income families who do not qualify for Medi-Cal. The July 2009 budget cuts left the widely popular Healthy Families program $194 million short in the largest single cut to kids' coverage in the history of the United States. As a result of the cut, a waitlist was established in July and over 70,000 new children seeking insurance were put on hold. Additionally, the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board (MRMIB), which regulates Healthy Families, was to dis-enroll over 600,000 children (including 32,000 children from Santa Clara County) beginning November 1st, unless a solution was found. With the looming threat of H1N1flu hitting schools this fall, the stakes were even higher.  With a coordinated advocacy approach from United Ways of California, combined with the voices of concerned residents, pediatricians, local children's health initiatives and children's advocates statewide, the legislature and governor listened. In a bi-partisan win for California children and tax-payers, AB1422(Bass) passed through the Assembly and Senate in early September and was signed into law on September 22nd by the Governor.