Healthcare for Kids

2277377917 It is incredulous to me that the Bush Administration does not want to insure that kids under the poverty line (not their parents but their children) are not covered by some type of health care.  I did not realize, as it appears that I am not that the only one, that children with parents under the poverty line, are covered in each state by a national health policy.  This program has been in place for 10 years. 

Obviously the Government hasn't done such a good job of contacting the people available for the service because there are almost 2 million who are eligible that are not using it.  Regardless, the Bushies are now interesting in taking the program away.  If the Bushies hadn't brought it up, most people would probably still be in the dark that it even existed. 

What is amazing to me is why the Bushies do not want this program to exist.  Parents who can not afford health care basically use the emergency room as their doctor.  They only go when need be.  They will sit for hours until they can see a doctor for their kid because it is their only access to health care.  Keep in mind, that those bills are never paid for.  The amount owed goes under debt to the hospital and insurance companies so in essence the people who are paying to erase the debt are the people who can afford to pay their bills.  Those people, such as myself,  are having to pay higher costs in order to pay for the debt that has incurred.  Hospitals and Insurance companies dirty little secrets.  After all, they want to have a healthy balance sheet.  Somebody has to pay for the bills at one point so raising the cost of health care to individuals who can pay for it is how health care institutions wipe the slate clean. 

It is not the debt that concerns me or nor is it the higher cost of health care.  What is concerning is that these kids are not getting proper health care at a young age.  They are not getting booster or immunization shots.  So what happens when there is an epidemic among the poor children, who are now adults, and are not immunized for let's say, polio.  Who pays for it then?  What happens when the 1.9 kids who are not receiving the health care that they have been granted by the Gov't ( at this time ) start to suffer from a variety of things in their early 30's.  They can not longer work because they are sick so they just apply for what ever the Gov't will give them on the dole.  Who suffers then?  Who pays for the bills then? 

This Administration has created quite a mess for generations to come.  Live high and mighty now for all their friends in big business because we won't be around for future generations to come?  Is that the mantra?

Having a national health care policy is essential.  What is even more essential is providing access to free health care for children whose parents can not afford it.  Healthy children hopefully grow up to be healthy adults who in turn become working people of society.  Skimping out on them is skimping out on America's future. 

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Joanne Wilson Joanne Wilson loves food, books, and music. She lives in New York City. Her husband Fred and children Jessica, Emily, and Josh are bloggers too. More »

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