Marian Wright Edelman is the President of the Children's Defense Fund, a non-profit child advocacy organization that has worked relentlessly for 35 years to ensure a level playing field for all children. A graduate of Spelman College and Yale Law School, she began her career in the mid-'60s when, as the first black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar, she directed the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund office in Jackson, Miss. In l968, she moved to Washington, D.C., as counsel for the Poor People's Campaign that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. began organizing before his death, and in 1973, began the Children's Defense Fund. In 2000, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, and the Robert F. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award for her writings.
Doug Elmendorf's comments are narrowly focused on health reform legislation's impact on the deficit. CBO scores do not take into account the full economic benefits of health services such as routine childhood vaccines that save our nation more than $43 billion in medical and indirect costs. Additionally, having health coverage during pregnancy decreases the probability of low birth weight and prematurity. In 2005, preterm births cost the U.S. $26.2 billion. CBO's response is disappointing, but hardly damaging. By continuing to measure the impact of health reform only on the deficit while excluding the economic benefits associated with better health, higher… Read more
As mark-ups begin this week, Congress must not forget children's unique needs. While the recent expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program was a significant step forward, even when it is fully implemented, 5-6 million children will still be uninsured and millions more underinsured. Now is our chance for comprehensive reform. The House and Senate legislation must ensure every child in America access to affordable comprehensive health coverage regardless of the state and family they live in and all children should receive the comprehensive and age-appropriate benefits currently mandated in Medicaid. CDF is urging that any legislation include these three… Read more
Since 2001, the cost of family coverage from an employer has climbed by almost 80 percent, while workers’ earnings have risen only 24 percent. At the same time, the private health insurance industry has made enormous profits, and several insurance firms have provided their top executives annual compensation packages exceeding $20 million. Our lopsided health insurance system enables a few to get rich from insurance profits while millions of uninsured families cannot afford to take their children for regular visits to the doctor or dentist. This is unjust and costly. Creating a public health insurance plan is a key… Read more
On occasion of National Minority Health Month, I would like to discuss the subject of racial disparities in terms of children’s health. Minority children in the United States – Black, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, American Indian – are more likely to be uninsured than White children. This disproportionate lack of health coverage has consequences for their health, growth and development – from before birth through adolescence and into adulthood. Lack of access to health coverage helps explain some of the considerable racial and income disparities that can result in different life paths for our children from their earliest… Read more
Our health care system is broken and badly in need of reform. If we are serious about reform, we must ensure that whatever form it takes, it will provide quality, affordable health coverage to all children and everyone in America. CDF has always been in support of creating one seamless and affordable health insurance plan for children that guarantees comprehensive benefits. Giving families the choice of a public health insurance plan would not only benefit millions of children but also the millions of hard-working families struggling under the current system. In the past eight years, the average total… Read more
As President Obama made clear last night, he understands that health care reform is central to economic recovery, and I applaud him for making health care reform a legislative centerpiece of 2009. The tone last night was one of hope, and this year our nation has the opportunity for all of us to come together to ensure our children and families are given the chance to lead healthy lives. Action must be taken now to give every person in America the option of a public health insurance plan that will guarantee that everyone—including every child—can get quality, affordable health coverage.… Read more
We simply can’t afford not to address health care in 2009; investing in our children and families will yield substantial dividends in the future. Reforming our health care system this year to ensure that everyone—especially all children and pregnant women—have access to comprehensive, affordable, quality health coverage will result in a healthier, more competitive workforce for our nation. I find it incredible that just a few months ago, President Bush and Congress sent $700 billion to bail out banks with little hesitation, and now some are questioning whether or not the wealthiest nation on earth can afford to keep… Read more
This economic recovery package will help the newly uninsured people in America keep health coverage for themselves and their families while they look for work. It will also allow states to maintain the safety net for struggling families at a time when it is needed most. However, this bill reinforces the fact that our health care system is broken and is badly in need of reform. Even before this economic crisis began, there were 46 million people in America without health coverage, including nine million children. Those numbers will rise and this legislation will certainly help them. But the economic recovery package is… Read more
Related Link: http://www.childrensdefense.org
