Today, America’s children face the prospect of growing up less healthy, having more debilitating and costly chronic health conditions as adults and living shorter lives than their parents.  While current health care costs for children are small in relation of those for adults, the future costs for treating their health threatens the financial viability of the current health care system for taxpayers.

Voices for Ohio's Children

Children represent 25 percent of the U.S. population and 100 percent of our future.  Therefore, we adults have a responsibility to pursue desired outcomes for children and their healthy development.

We want to see our children ready to enter school with:

These outcomes should include:

·         No chronic health problems without a treatment plan

·         Immunizations complete for age

·         No untreated dental caries

·         Good nutritional habits and no obesity

·         No exposure to tobacco smoke

·         No unrecognized or untreated developmental delays (emotional, social, cognitive, communication)

·         No unrecognized maternal depression, family violence, or family substance abuse

·         Parents knowledgeable and skilled to anticipate and meet child’s developmental needs

·         Parents linked to all appropriate community services

Enrolling more children in health coverage is a step toward achieving these desired outcomes.

As health insurance costs have risen and employer-based family coverage declined, the two federal programs designed to provide health services for children —Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)— have increased, and now cover approximately one-third of all children in the United States.

Through U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’s “Connecting Kids to Coverage” Challenge, 56 organizations have now committed toward enrolling the five million children eligible for CHIP and Medicaid health services but not currently enrolled in either program.  These organizations include state and national children’s advocates, such as Voices for Ohio’s Children and Voices for America’s Children.

In addition to these organizations to help connect kids to coverage, there are tools to help parents on the go. Parenting is difficult for everyone and even though children don’t come with an instruction manual, parenting can be made easier with a new tool called Text4Baby. This free service takes the guess work out by giving expectant mothers reminders text reminders on important resources and supports during pregnancy and throughout their child’s first three years of life.

Science shows laying the foundation for a child’s proper emotional, social and cognitive development is critical—especially among low income families.  By strengthening families and helping parents provide appropriate brain stimulation during this period, we maximize the social, mental and physical development of children.  Text4Baby is a resource to empower families with good, timely information.

Healthy babies and children will lead more productive lives.  To support children and families, support stronger outcomes, Text4Baby gives free, timely resources new and expectant families.  Sign up for Text4Baby at http://www.text4baby.org/.

So we achieve better outcomes for children, we need to connect more of them to health coverage.  I encourage you to join us in “Connecting Kids to Coverage” Challenge today.