Health Care: A Basic Human Right

Get involved in the Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America by focusing on the well-being of our children.

Access to health care is a basic human right, essential to maintaining the dignity of human life. Yet nine million children in our country do not have insurance and face barriers to accessing doctors, dentists, and preventive care. 

This summer, Congress is expected to move full speed ahead in reauthorizing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), presenting a major opportunity to protect the health of millions of our children.

As Catholic Charities USA works with your Members of Congress to develop additional policies that nuture, protect, and care for our children, we need your voice.

Submit a comment to this post and tell us why you believe all families and children have a right to adequate health care.

Or, share your personal experiences by visiting these blog posts:

• Do you have children who have been under or uninsured?
• Do you work with under or uninsured children?

Your stories and thoughts will be collected and utilized by Catholic Charities USA as we work with your Members of Congress.  Stories can be as short as a few sentences or as long as a few paragraphs. You do not need to provide your name but please identify the state where you live.

For more information, contact Karen Wong, Legislative Policy and Research Analyst or Christin Driscoll, Senior Director for Policy Development and Advocacy.

Comments

[Timothy Abercrombie]

I believe that all children have a fundamental right to adequate health care. Our children are our future, and we have a moral obligation to care for and protect them. Thank you for your time and attention.

[Barbara Berrios]

Thousands of children have attended our early childhood learning Center; located in a low-income community. Children enter our setting with documented evidence of full immunizations and a recent medical check-up. Increasingly in recent years, we see many options available for low-cost medical coverage for children (Child Health Plus, Health Source, etc.)

What is severly lacking is accessible medical care for their parents. Many of our working families have no coverage at all and few options for affordable health care.

This situation must ultimately adversely affect the well being of the child.

-New York

[Sister Mary Schmuck, RSM]

This is information shared by one of our colleagues for Catholic Charities of Louisville in Elizabethtown area -

Sister- of all the children that I have worked with this year- 111 families so far- the children are receiving PassPort or Medicaid if the parents have applied.

There are some parents who will not follow through and get these programs.

I think it is the middle class children who are not receiving these services. Even my sons children who had no health insurance . When they went to a doctor they always gave them greatly reduced rates. Luckily they did not require hospitalization during that time.

[vin reilly]

Here's the story of a child who died from a treatable tooth abcess.

http://cardin.senate.gov/news/record.cfm?id=270013