Letters - Thursday

April 19, 2007

HEALTH OF THE NATION
Washington should provide insurance for children

April 23-29 is Cover the Uninsured Week. As an emergency physician, I witness first-hand the devastating effects that being uninsured has on our community every day. I am writing on behalf of the 46 million Americans without health insurance, many of whom are my patients.

The most heartbreaking examples of this are uninsured children. When these boys and girls go without essential medical care, they end up in my emergency department and others like it.

For the past 10 years, the State Children's Health Insurance Program has provided a safety net for children whose parents either can't obtain or can't afford health insurance. In Colorado, that number is 167,000, or 17 percent of Colorado's kids.

This year, Washington lawmakers are debating how much money to devote to kids' coverage. It is imperative that Congress fully reauthorize and expand the SCHIP program. The 9 million uninsured children of America deserve nothing less.

David Ross, D.O.
Colorado Springs

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