United Way of California

Covering California's Children Campaign

It’s Good for Kids, Good for our Economy, and Good for the Health of Our State

All Californians benefit when our children have health insurance and receive preventive care. That is why United Ways of California believes we must have policies and funding in place at both the state and federal level to ensure all children have access to healthcare. United Way understands business is the engine of California's economy and we work to help ensure policies to cover children are equitable and help our state's fiscal environment. Here are just a few reasons why health coverage for all children makes sense for California:

Children with health insurance are more likely to get the care they need to keep them healthy and productive.

• Kids with health insurance are more likely to get the care they need to ensure healthy development, including preventive care, immunizations to prevent diseases, and basic check-ups with primary care physicians.

Providing children with health coverage and preventive care prevents more serious and costly health problems and saves us all money.

• Uninsured children end up receiving care in emergency rooms, where federal and state law requires treatment. Providing health insurance is more cost-effective because it can prevent more serious health problems from developing.
• Every dollar spent on childhood immunizations will save $13 down the road.
• Statewide, more than 333,000 preventable child hospitalizations occurred between 2000 and 2005 - at an average cost of $7,000 per hospitalization. If these children had health coverage, we would have saved $2.33 billion.

In today's tough economic times, providing healthcare to every California child can help employers, families, and the entire California economy.

• Almost 90% of uninsured children live in families where at least one parent works. In these tough economic times, hard-working families shouldn't have to worry about the health of their children.
• Employers lose up to $12 billion a year nationally on absenteeism. Ensuring children have access to preventive care could save employers billions of dollars by lowering parents' absenteeism and the resulting loss of productivity.
• California is eligible for $1 to $2 from the federal government for every dollar we invest in children's health insurance, a potential gain of billions of dollars.

We put our public and community health in jeopardy if we don't insure our children.

• Children without insurance are in our schools and part of our communities. By providing health insurance to all children, we protect everyone's health and future by treating illnesses earlier and catching serious illnesses before they spread.

United Way knows business leaders are part of the solution, but can't be the whole solution.

• Encouraging a public/private partnership brings together funding from various sources - federal, state, and families. Businesses have a role to play, but shouldn't be viewed as the only funding source to cover uninsured children, especially when it is increasingly difficult to provide insurance to employees.