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News release

What’s the Story on Health Care Coverage for Kids?

August 8, 2008
Health Care

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

MomsRising.org to Deliver Stories Illustrating the Need for Universal Health Care Coverage for California Children to State Legislators
As California kids head back to school, California moms are urging legislators to hit the books,” too and learn why even in this tough budget year, it makes economic sense to provide health care coverage for all children. MomsRising.org, the online grassroots organization for moms and everyone who has a mom, will deliver a bound collection of personal stories from its California members about the importance of health care coverage for children:
 

11 AM, Tuesday, August 12
North side of the State Capitol (on L Street)
Sacramento

The booklets each contain 44 stories of California families who need or who have health care coverage. MomsRising.org is delivering them to send the message that providing health care coverage for all children is a fiscally sound policy that will ultimately save the state millions of dollars. Approximately 763,000 children in California have no health care coverage. A study of nine local Children's Health Initiatives (CHI) in California, conducted by the Center for Community Health Services at the University of Southern 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.
 
Tuesday’s delivery is part of MomsRising.org’s ongoing effort, in collaboration with The 100% Campaign, to encourage the California legislature to include universal health care coverage for children in health care reform. The 100% Campaign is a collaborative effort of Children Now, Children's Defense Fund, and The Children's Partnership.
 
MomsRising.org spokesperson Donna Norton will be at the State Capitol to offer comment on the action.
 

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.