I've finally found something our Oklahoma legislators did right. Last session with bi-partisan support they passed SB 424, titled the All Kids Act. This act will enable over 40,000 additional Oklahoma kids to have health insurance through the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). NO NEW TAXES WERE PASSED TO FUND THIS ACT! The All Kids Act will use 8 million dollars in already collected tobacco taxes and bring in an additional 30 million dollars in federal funds.
Passage of this act means families who are self employed or working for employers who do not provide group health insurance will be able to have health insurance for their kids even if some of them suffer from chronic illnesses like asthma or diabetes which makes many of them uninsurable in today's insurance market.
Working families paying ALMOST $3 a gallon for gas to get to work and $4 a gallon for milk often don't have the resources to pay $1000 a month for family health insurance which is what the average non group policy costs in the state of Oklahoma for a family of four.
Our state Insurance Commissioner, Kim Holland recently stated that the uninsured increase the costs of health insurance to both businesses and families by $1781.00 a year. The high cost of health care in general is impacted to a great extent by the millions of families who end up unable to pay their medical bills. Hospitals and doctors end up having to add this to their cost of doing business so they have to increase their prices. Spiraling medical and insurance costs are costing each and every one of us lots of money and I appreciate any action that can help with that.
When children do not make regular visits to the doctor, or receive medical attention when it is needed, they risk minor illnesses becoming major ones. Adequate health care can mean the difference between a child growing and thriving and one who misses a lot of school, falls behind, and can even eventually end up needing state aid. Healthy children are better prepared to learn in school and better equipped to succeed in life. Children are our state's most important asset, and we should do everything we can to ensure that they succeed.
Passage of this act means families who are self employed or working for employers who do not provide group health insurance will be able to have health insurance for their kids even if some of them suffer from chronic illnesses like asthma or diabetes which makes many of them uninsurable in today's insurance market.
Working families paying ALMOST $3 a gallon for gas to get to work and $4 a gallon for milk often don't have the resources to pay $1000 a month for family health insurance which is what the average non group policy costs in the state of Oklahoma for a family of four.
Our state Insurance Commissioner, Kim Holland recently stated that the uninsured increase the costs of health insurance to both businesses and families by $1781.00 a year. The high cost of health care in general is impacted to a great extent by the millions of families who end up unable to pay their medical bills. Hospitals and doctors end up having to add this to their cost of doing business so they have to increase their prices. Spiraling medical and insurance costs are costing each and every one of us lots of money and I appreciate any action that can help with that.
When children do not make regular visits to the doctor, or receive medical attention when it is needed, they risk minor illnesses becoming major ones. Adequate health care can mean the difference between a child growing and thriving and one who misses a lot of school, falls behind, and can even eventually end up needing state aid. Healthy children are better prepared to learn in school and better equipped to succeed in life. Children are our state's most important asset, and we should do everything we can to ensure that they succeed.
