Thanks for standing up for Sophie and all the other children in need of healthcare reform. Over the weekend, a number of last minute improvements on children's health coverage were made to the Senate health bill because of the amazing efforts of MomsRising members and other great advocates for children.

But we're not there yet.

Another vote is expected tomorrow, and if the bill passes the Senate, then we'll need to make sure that the bill continues to improve in the negotiations between the House and the Senate, so we need to keep pumping up the volume for kids!

So, hold the egg nog for one minute and tell Congress again that they still need to get healthcare reform done--and get it right for kids and families.http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=966

What have we won so far for kids' coverage in the current Senate bill?

* Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funding is continued for another two years which ensures that children can keep their CHIP coverage during a critical period when health reform is just getting off the ground.

* Immediately prohibits insurers from denying coverage to children for pre-existing conditions.

* Subsidizes insurance for families of four making up to about $88,000 annually.

Why does this matter?

Countless moms and dads across the country have told us about the importance of children's health insurance coverage and the difficulty of obtaining coverage for a child with medical issues. You might remember the story of Natalie from Oklahoma who almost made the tragic mistake of not taking her critically ill daughter, Sophie, to the emergency room because her insurer refused to cover Sophie's "pre-existing" pulmonary/respiratory issues until she could show that she had gone two years without needing medication.

Natalie writes: "We almost didn't take our baby girl, Sophie, who was in severe respiratory distress, to the doctor because we knew that it would hurt her chances of getting insurance. I'm going to ask you to sit for a moment and imagine being in our shoes in that situation. Imagine the shame and guilt of almost keeping your child home from the hospital until it was too late. Now imagine the horror of seeing your child naked in ICU, hooked up to a variety of machines. There is no way to describe how this felt."

With the new provisions to the Senate health bill, Sophie could not be denied coverage because of her pre-existing condition and her mother wouldn't be faced with this tragic choice.

Are we done then?

No. These are great improvements, but we need to keep fighting to make the bill the best it can be. The clock is ticking and we can't let the Senate forget about kids as they move healthcare reform forward over the next week.

Tell Congress : Get health reform done--and get it right for kids and families--not just for corporate lobbyists! http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=966

And please forward this to all your friends and family -- now is the time to make all of our voices heard again and again. We've got to keep the pressure up till we make it over the finish line.

Thank you for your work on behalf of our nation's families.

P.S. Check out this great video of Senator Patty Murray answering questions from MomsRising members about health reform http://bit.ly/6z9Llz

P.P.S. Wondering what else is in the Senate Bill? Here are some highlights. It would:

• Extend health insurance coverage to 31 million more Americans, including 14 million lower-income, working people through Medicaid
• Prohibit insurance company discrimination based on gender or pre-existing condition -- and make sure you can't lose your insurance when you get sick
• End the upward, unsustainable increases in insurance premiums
• Increase funding for community health centers in 10,000 communities across the country, enhancing primary care for more than 25 million people who have traditionally been uninsured or underinsured
• Close the prescription drug "doughnut hole" for seniors
• Require insurance companies to spend at least 85% of their income on patient care, not executive pay or profits
• Cut the federal deficit by $132 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

P.P.P. S. Big thank you to our partners at First Focus, Georgetown's Center for Children and Families, Children's Defense Fund, Families U.S.A. and Voices for America's Children for their work on behalf of kids' coverage.