News release
California Moms Ask Legislators to See Their Way Clear to Preserving Vision Benefits for Kids
May 17, 2010
Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996
MomsRising Members to Deliver Messages to California Legislators Urging Them to Maintain Critical Benefits, Including Vision Coverage in Healthy Families Program
California moms and kids will be making a spectacle of themselves this Wednesday at the State Capitol when they visit legislators’ offices to deliver eyeglass-o-grams (cardboard eyeglasses with messages attached to them) to urge the legislature to reject the Governor’s proposal to cut children’s vision and other benefits from the Healthy Families Program. Moms and kids will meet before the delivery at:
10am, Wednesday, May 19
Capitol Steps at 11th and L Streets
Sacramento
MomsRising.org, the online and on-the-ground organization for moms and people who love them, collected the messages from moms, dads and others across the state who are concerned about children’s health.
MomsRising members believe that a strong benefit package for children’s coverage is vital to ensure healthy development, to prevent and manage chronic conditions, and to help children succeed in school and in life. Children need vision coverage in order to read, see the blackboard in class, and play safely during recess. For the roughly 4.5 million children in California who rely on Medi-Cal and Healthy Families as their only source of affordable health coverage, it is absolutely critical that the health, dental, and vision benefits of these programs be preserved.
Among the messages being delivered are:
My 5th grade son wears glasses, paid for by Medi-Cal. He always scores Advanced in his CST scores and last year scored 100% for both English and Math. That is not a typo. He cannot see the board at school without glasses, even if he is seated at the front of the room. If you take away our ability to get him glasses, that is seriously going to impair his ability to perform well at school. The kids with medical needs is NOT the place to make your budget cuts.
—Kimberly, Monrovia, CA
My daughter wears glasses and we are HF recipients. Glasses cost over $100. I hope they don't cut this.
—Julie, Cardiff, CA
We all know that decreasing or eliminating coverage leads to far more health issues because nothing is being done in the early stages or in the forms of preventative care. By the time we provide help, the condition has become serious and in the end, costs all of us far more than if we had simply provided coverage and care in the first place. Children whose health is compromised -- be it dental, visual, auditory, or general health issues -- suffer set backs educationally and socially and in the end, their life path is altered. That affects ALL of society! As noted earlier, school absences affect school funding so all of it is interrelated.
There must be a way to balance things out so big business carries its fair share. Cutting health services to children must NOT be an option, EVER!
—Katherine, Portola Valley, CA
I am a single mother raising two children. I'm making enough to barely get by. I haven't been to the dentist for 7 years because I can't afford dental insurance for myself. At least with Healthy Families I can have my children visit the doctors and dentists regularly. Please don't make our children suffer because of the state budget.
—Liane, San Rafael, CA
Children are our future we have to prepare them for what's ahead, put their interest first!
—Patty, San Pablo, CA
If a child cannot correctly see, the child will not be able to correctly read. Don't Leave this Child Behind!
—Jeanne, Los Gatos, CA
How are children going to learn to read if they can’t see?
—Brandi, Ventura, CA
MEDIA NOTE: MomsRising California Campaign Associate Julia Goodman will be at the event and available for comment.