CALIFORNIA: PARENTS REPORT ACCESS PROBLEMS FOR KIDS
A new poll finds that 20% of parents in California say theirThis is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
children are not currently covered by any kind of health
insurance and a majority (56%) of these parents report having
problems accessing health care services. Commissioned by the
California Center for Health Improvement and conducted by The
Field Institute, the survey found that the most frequently
reported access problems included obtaining dental services,
health care information after hours, basic health care,
preventive care services and mental health services. In
addition, more than one-third (34%) of parents with health care
coverage for their children say they have experienced one or more
problems accessing specific health care services. Karen
Bodenhorn, president of the center, said the survey "provides new
information on what California parents ... tell us about their
difficulties obtaining health care services for their children
and the kinds of information they need to help keep their
children well. This information should be helpful to those
involved in implementing the Healthy Families program and in
shaping new strategies to expand children's access to health care
services in our state."
LOW-INCOME PARENTS
According to the survey, parents with incomes of less than
200% of the federal poverty level are three times as likely as
other parents to have no health insurance for their children.
Moreover, parents who have no coverage for their children are
more likely to be under age 30, Latino and have no more than a
high school education. Low-income parents said they believe it
would be very useful for health providers to offer more
information to assist them in making decisions about keeping
their children healthy. Seventy-six percent of parents with
incomes below 200% of the poverty level said they would like
information on how to use medications appropriately; 71% said
they would like to receive reminders about when their children
need a check-up or immunization and 68% wanted advice on how to
better inform their children about sex education or teen
pregnancy prevention. The survey was funded by a grant from the
California Wellness Foundation (release, 1/15).
CHILD-DEVELOPMENT EFFORT
San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown (D) Tuesday "teamed up with
Hollywood director Rob Reiner ... to push a new initiative that
would help babies by taxing smokers 50 cents a pack," the San
Francisco Chronicle reports. The "proposed California Children
and Families First" initiative "is the latest in a string of
measures attempting to fund health and education by penalizing
smokers." If the initiative is approved by voters, it would
generate "as much as $900 million a year" for "basic health care,
immunization, parenting courses and child-care training." Former
California Assemblyman Mike Roos is leading the effort "to raise
$1 million needed to qualify the measure for the November
ballot." Brown's endorsement of the tobacco tax hike "sharply
contrasts from his earlier days as" Speaker of the California
Assembly, when he was "denounced" by anti-smoking groups "for
reportedly taking more than $650,000 in contributions from
tobacco interests," the Chronicle reports (Wilson, 1/14).