Opinion

Letters to the Editor
Strengthen kids' health insurance program

With nearly 9 million children uninsured across the United States, the findings of a recent Families USA study underscore the urgency to provide health coverage to all kids. We guarantee health coverage to our seniors; the same should be done for our children ("Study: Uninsured kids fare worse at hospitals," News, March 2).

A good start toward this goal is to strengthen and support the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which is responsible for providing nearly 6 million kids with health coverage. Without sustainable federal funding, we run the risk of squandering the gains we've made in reducing the number of uninsured children and adding millions more children to the uninsured rolls.

As a pediatrician and president of California's largest health foundation, I've seen firsthand the negative impact the lack of health care coverage has on our kids. This report shows only the tip of the iceberg. I hope this serves as a wake-up call to our nation's leaders who should listen to what a majority of the American electorate made clear in a recent poll: All kids should have health coverage.

Robert K. Ross, President & CEO
The California Endowment
Los Angeles