Uninsured American children

There are currently 9 million uninsured children in the United States. Census data shows that 70% of these children live in a home where at least one parent works full-time. The same data shows that about two-thirds of these children would qualify for government-sponsored health insurance if parents applied for it. Uninsured people are far more likely to be without essential medical care, including vaccinations and treatment for potentially fatal conditions. This is particularly sad when children are involved as they are so dependent on their parents and the social organizations set up to help them. A complicated enrollment process and a lack of knowledge about the programs are the main reasons why so many of these eligible children are not enrolled in government-sponsored health insurance programs.

Maybe the government likes to keep things the way they are so as not to pay for health care for all eligible children? If not, there’s no reason the government-sponsored health insurance enrollment process should be complicated. It could all be done on a single sheet of paper with a copy of a tax return to prove financial eligibility. These forms could be available at any doctor’s office or hospital. They might be simple enough for everyone to understand and have time to complete.

The issue of parents not knowing about the availability of the programs could also be solved if the government really wanted adequate resources to provide them with health insurance. The money is there, it is not always used in the most efficient way. The availability of public health care for eligible children should be actively promoted. Public schools could send notes home with kids. Hospitals were able to explain the program and help parents enroll newborns before they leave the hospital. The IRS could send qualifying income information to families. If the registration process became straightforward and easy, and parents were made aware of the programs’ availability, our country could have 3 million children without health insurance instead of 9 million. That’s a big difference.