Washington health insurance for every child

By John Kerry



Special to The Times



American families put kids first every day, working hard to give their children opportunities they never had. Washington, D.C., however, turns a blind eye as 11 million children in America — 161,650 in Washington state alone — go without health insurance.



As I traveled the country last year, I had the special privilege of meeting great families every day — good people who love their communities, love our country and are determined to build a better life for their kids. Their stories are the driving force behind my Kids First plan.



Since I introduced my bill in January, more than 500,000 people have signed up to be citizen co-sponsors and thousands more have called in to give their personal testimony about why insuring every child is so important.



A father from Sumas said, "I come from a small community... and there (are) many families up there that go to school, and their kids don't have health insurance, and they miss many days of school, and then they're held back grades, and then they feel that since they're held back they shouldn't continue, and they end up going out and working on these farms for very little money, and they don't live up to the full American vision of success."



It's no wonder people are so upset about the government's indifference on children's health care. Nineteen percent of Washington state 2-year-olds are not immunized. One-third of kids with asthma suffer without the medication they need. In the wealthiest nation on the face of the Earth, that simply shouldn't be the case.



Insuring every child won't require big tax hikes or new bureaucracy. In fact, we can provide health-insurance coverage for every kid in America if we simply roll back the president's tax cut for individuals making over $300,000 a year. It's hardly a tough choice.



The benefits to all of us would be numerous. It would reduce avoidable hospitalizations by an estimated 22 percent. Children enrolled in public health-insurance programs rate 68 percent better in measures of school performance than those without coverage. And the long-term cost savings, not only in health care, but in education, job training and reduced stress on our families, are incalculable.



Over the course of the campaign, I fought to expand coverage and lower premiums for every single American. Sadly, Washington, D.C., is unwilling to tackle comprehensive health-care reform. But surely we can begin to make progress where the cost of action is low and the cost of continued inaction is so very high: our children.



The government can't raise people's kids; nor should it. But we can re-establish a national responsibility for children's health care by building a strong partnership with the states, which are responsible for running the state health-care systems, and with parents, who are responsible for raising healthy kids.



Instead of dumping the problem on cash-strapped states, my proposal offers states a new bargain: The national government will give states immediate fiscal relief in exchange for a commitment not only to cover all kids, but to make sure they get the coverage they're eligible for. That means cutting the current red tape that results in the huge gap between the kids who are eligible and those who actually get covered. Under my plan, Washington state will save almost $163 million per year.



We need a new bargain with parents as well. We should help them buy employer-sponsored coverage where it's available. And we will allow parents who don't normally qualify for public programs to buy coverage for their children at cost. Parents' side of the bargain is to take advantage of these opportunities to get their kids covered. If they don't, they will not be able to claim the child-tax credit on their federal tax returns.



If we believe drivers have a responsibility to buy car insurance, surely we believe parents have a responsibility to get health insurance for their kids. In an era when politicians like to use the word "values," insuring kids is a test of who just talks about family values and who really values families.



I am proud that Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Congressman Jim McDermott have co-sponsored Kids First, and we will work to make it the law of the land. It's long since time we give every child a healthy start in life. We don't need to expand government; we simply need to fulfill commitments we have already made. We don't need the government to do more than it should; we simply ask the government to do its fair share in partnership with the states and with parents.



When it comes to getting kids health-care coverage, it's a promise we can afford to keep — and one we cannot afford to break.



U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, is scheduled to be in Seattle today for a discussion of his Kids First plan. The event is at 9:30 a.m. in Town Hall.