When I'm really lost, I need some serious help to get re-oriented -- a map, a compass, and someone giving me directions! It looks like the California legislature may also need some serious navigational help to back on course with healthcare for all kids.

Last year they almost passed comprehensive healthcare reform which would cover all kids, now that's gone out the window. In these tough economic times, families need more support, not less.

Send each member of the California legislature a compass (to help them get back on track for kids!) along with a brief personal message from you about why you think healthcare for all kids is important.

Click here to send your Compass-o-Gram now (it's free!):

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/questionnaire.jsp?questionnair...

Your message can be whatever you want:

Your hope: All kids deserve the promise of healthcare!

A wish for your own family: My family shouldn't have to worry about losing healthcare for our children and ourselves if we lose our jobs!

A word of encouragement (legislators really like these): We need your leadership to steer California to a healthy and prosperous future!

Or share your family's healthcare story: Without Medi-Cal, my children would have no health insurance! or I don't have healthcare insurance for my kids and they don't get all the care they need, or I have healthcare insurance and would be sunk without it. No one should have to suffer.

WHY A COMPASS?: We thought a compass was a fitting gift for legislators who have completely - and wrongly - lost their direction on providing healthcare coverage for all children.

California, like the rest of the country, is facing tough economic times. But cutting programs for families doesn't make sense. During bad economic times, families need more support, not less. And covering all kids saves money (and lives)!

We know that not everyone can take time off from work or their family to get to the Capitol during the day. But when you send your messages, your legislators will know that you're paying attention and that you care.

Click here to send your message that will be hand delivered with a compass to our state leaders by fabulous MomsRising.org members: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/questionnaire.jsp?questionnair...

Don't forget to forward this email to friends so they can send their messages as well. The more people who send messages, the bigger the impact we'll make together!

Thanks!

Donna, Ashley, Kristin and the MomsRising.org Team

p.s. We're not alone in thinking our legislators may be headed the wrong way. According to a recent poll, 69% of registered voters in California believe the state is "seriously off on the wrong track." For more information, see: http://www.field.com/fieldpollonline/subscribers/Rls2272.pdf

p.p.s. Need more evidence about how covering all kids makes economic sense? Here are some important facts:

• When children have gaps in coverage and do not get timely preventive care, they often end up requiring more expensive health care, such as hospitalizations and emergency room visits. One study found that uninsured children are 5 times more likely to use an emergency room. [1]

• A study of 9 local Children's Health Initiatives (CHI) in California found that providing children health insurance reduced hospitalizations in the CHI counties by 25 percent and saved up to $7.35 million annually in preventable hospitalizations. If all low-income children had health insurance, the state could save $24.3 million per year in preventable hospitalizations. [2]

[1] American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine. No Health Insurance? It's Enough to Make You Sick. American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine, Philadelphia, November 1999.

[2] Michael R. Cousineau, et al., Covering California's Kids Evaluation: Children's Health Initiatives Have Helped Prevent Over 1,000 Unnecessary Child Hospitalizations Annually, (Center for Community Health Studies, University of Southern California, December 2007), Michael R. Cousineau, et al., "Preventable Hospitalizations Among Children in California Counties After Child Health Insurance Expansion Initiatives," Medical Care, Vol. 46 (2008): 142-147.