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As an advocate for children, I believe that every child deserves high-quality, accessible healthcare coverage.
In New England, over 250,000 children lack health insurance. We know that children who lack health insurance are more likely to experience greater rates of asthma, obesity, depression, and lengthy school absences. When children have sufficient healthcare, we all benefit. Children can learn better in school and contribute to their communities. Parents can be more productive in the workforce. Healthcare systems can reduce their costs and employ more workers when they are being compensated for their services. Hospitals and health insurance companies can avoid passing on more uncompensated care costs to individuals with insurance. The human and financial costs of uninsurance are simply unwarranted and unwise. In an effort to improve children’s health and our region’s economy, I support:
- The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and believe it should be reauthorized in 2007 with sufficient funding to cover more children and protect Medicaid
- Individual state efforts across the region to ensure that children have comprehensive, high-quality, accessible healthcare coverage
- Initiatives aimed at improving the quality of pediatric healthcare
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SCHIP Handout for 