by Kristen Thompson

One year ago today, President Obama signed the historic Affordable Care Act.  I was invigorated then – along with millions of Americans – by the promise it held for the health and well-being of our nation, and most importantly, our nation’s children! Today, even as opponents try to stall, defund, or derail the Affordable Care Act, California families can stand strong not only on its promise, but on what it has already accomplished for children and youth across the state.

Today, because of the legislation, over 1.1 million California children under 25 with a “pre-existing condition,” such as asthma, diabetes, or cancer, can no longer be denied health coverage. About 200,000 young adults under age 26 have access to coverage as dependents through their parents’ employer-sponsored coverage. What’s more, those who already have insurance cannot have their coverage taken away when they get sick, be charged co-payments for preventive services, or face a limit on the amount of services they receive due to unfair lifetime benefit caps or overly restrictive annual caps.

Cameron Rath has already benefited. Diagnosed with an incurable bone marrow illness at the age of 14, his low hemoglobin, red and white blood cell counts mean that even a common cold can put him in the hospital. After years of doctor visits, tests and hospitalizations to manage a myriad of secondary infections, he is nearing his health plan’s lifetime benefit limit.  Now 22 years old, he is at risk for leukemia and if his condition worsens may need a costly bone marrow transplant.  Losing healthcare coverage would be financially devastating for Cameron’s family and would have made it impossible to manage his illness. Now, because of the Affordable Care Act, Cameron and many others like him no longer live in fear of losing critical health care services due to immoral and unfair restrictions from health insurers.

Now, Californians can celebrate the fact that many children and youth have benefited from the new health care law, but there is still more work to be done.  California leaders should stay the course on swift and smart implementation of the law, including laying a solid foundation for the California Health Benefits Exchange, the insurance marketplace where up to 4.5 million uninsured Californians and nearly 1 million uninsured children will gain health coverage. California policymakers and administrative leaders must ensure that health coverage offered under the Exchange is high quality and appropriate for children, easy to access, and well-coordinated with public coverage programs such as Healthy Families and Medi-Cal.

California was first in the nation to sign into law a framework for the California Health Benefits Exchange that will expand coverage to many more children.  But it is unacceptable that California stands seventh to last in the nation in uninsured children. Today, two out of 3 uninsured California children – close to 700,000 – are eligible but not enrolled in Medi-Cal or Healthy Families, due in large part to budget cuts in recent years which have de-funded critical outreach and application assistance programs. Nearly 71 percent of eligible but uninsured children are Latino, and overall, Latino children in California have worse health status than those children of other ethnicities.

We can and must do better for our children! The nearly 700,000 uninsured but eligible children don’t have to wait to get the health coverage they need. They can find affordable coverage options today by calling 1-877-KIDS-NOW or visiting www.healthcare.gov. We must all do our part to enroll eligible children and urge policymakers in Sacramento to work toward budget solutions that give all California children a healthy start in life.