SANTA CLARA COUNTY MAKES HISTORY BY PROVIDING HEALTH COVERAGE FOR ALL
CHILDREN -- HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK (Extensions of Remarks - December 07,
2000)
[Page: E2144]
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HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK
OF CALIFORNIA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Thursday, December 7, 2000
- Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, Santa Clara County in California has just made
history by approving a plan to provide health coverage for all of the
estimated 70,000 uninsured children in the county. Unwilling to wait for
national and state officials to respond to the problem, the county has
obtained funding from a variety of diverse sources to ensure that children
receive the health care coverage they need, starting January 2, 2001.
- The county will streamline application forms, aggressively conduct
outreach, and enroll the approximately 50,000 children who qualify for state
and federally funded programs. For the other 20,000 children who don't qualify
for existing government assistance, the county will pay the majority of their
health insurance premiums.
- Not only will Santa Clara County's children be guaranteed health coverage,
but also they will be guaranteed comprehensive coverage. Currently, children
can obtain access to health care through Medicaid, State Children's Health
Insurance Program (SCHIP), and the private sector. Often, the health coverage
varies widely. Under Santa Clara County's program though, all children up to
the age 19 will be guaranteed comprehensive coverage of a range of services,
including vision, dental, and medical care.
- I want to commend Santa Clara County for being the first in the nation to
set its sights on covering all children with health insurance. The county has
proactively found a solution to our nation's pressing problem of the uninsured
and has built partnerships with diverse groups to achieve coverage for all
children.
- I hope that other counties, states, and the federal government will follow
Santa Clara County's lead. With over 10 million uninsured children in this
country, the problem faced by Santa Clara County is one that is faced by
numerous counties across America. This year, I introduced H.R. 4390, the
MediKids Health Insurance Act to provide health coverage for every child in
the country. It would provide a health care safety net for uninsured children
by guaranteeing access to comprehensive medical care.
- MediKids, which builds on our successful experience with Medicare, is one
approach to ensuring coverage for all children in the nation. There are
alternative approaches that build on other existing programs, similar to the
new effort being undertaken by Santa Clara County. I hope everyone in Congress
can join in continuing our efforts to expand coverage to our nation's
uninsured children. Passage of the SCHIP program in 1997 has certainly moved
us forward, but much more needs to be done.
- All of our nation's children deserve a healthy start in life. For the
children living in Santa Clara County, they should now get precisely that.
END