First of all, let's get this out of the way: Here's the petition. Please sign! You'll be better for it. Now, here's the pitch:
The onrush of debates and the tightening primary schedule makes spontaneity and sincerity all the more important for the candidates. Hillary is working on it, Edwards certainly has it, and Obama, well, he practically defines it. But there's only one candidate out there now who not only can "go to camera" at will AND has already launched the air war...
Susie Flynn!
She is a character created by the Children's Defense Fund, a 10-year-old girl who has launched a quirky but not quixotic campaign for the presidency. It's a neat campaign, at first drawing the double-take -- WHO is running for president?! She CAN'T run for president!
Of course she can! The Constitution says:
No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty five years, and been fourteen Years a resident within the United States.
It does not say:
No person ... shall be eligible to campaign for the office of President...
And so she runs, and while she cannot and will not succeed in her quest for the highest office in the land (well, give it another quarter-century) she just might succeed in her actual goal -- putting a spotlight on the 9 million children in this country who do not have health care insurance. Her campaign supports the Children's Defense Fund's Healthy Child Campaign, and relatedly, Rep. Bobby Scott's (D-VA) All Healthy Children Act (HR 1688).
The campaign is a bit of fun, but the real stories are heartbreaking. I've tucked two examples into the space below, about the incomprehensible, reprehensible situations that develop when one child is eligible for a program but their sibling is not, or when your family's income is just $50 above the limit for receiving assistance.
Please check out the ads, and please, sign the petition. Thank you!
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- Jeffrey, 12, and Vontarius, 3, Jackson, Mississippi: Ethel is a single mother caring for her two boys on little more than $1,000 a month. Her older son, Jeffrey, whom she adopted, suffers from major depression and ADHD. Because he has been labeled disabled, this qualifies him for Medicaid coverage. Her younger son, Vontarius, suffers from severe asthma and is currently covered by the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Jeffrey's condition requires that he attend school in a controlled environment where there are doctors and counselors that can work with his aggression and constantly monitor and modify his medication. However, Medicaid has proven to be a challenge because it will only cover his treatment in stints of six months or less. After six months at the facility, he must go home for six months before returning to the school for treatment. In most instances when Jeffery returns home, his medication is not regulated. He goes days without sleeping or eating, and he becomes very angry and aggressive, sometimes striking both Ethel and her younger son, Vontarius. All these factors have put a great strain on Ethel's ability to remain gainfully employed as she is unable to find consistent after-school supervision, and her employers are less than sympathetic to her situation.
Ethel has lost all hope in Medicaid and feels the system is broken. When getting prescriptions filled, Ethel has been told several times that her son has "maxed out," meaning that he has received more than five medications per month. Ethel understands that income may need to play a part in deciding Medicaid coverage but thinks the formulas should be reworked. She said that the cost of living is high, and individuals that barely exceed the maximum are shut out from affordable health care leaving them with very few options.
- Marihelen, 1; Elizabeth, 5; Michael, 10; Steffy, 17, Columbus, Ohio: Parents Marc and Patti work hard to take care of their four children even on their very limited income. The family had been seeing a physician they trusted and with whom they felt comfortable. But when they showed up one day for an appointment for routine shots for Elizabeth, they were told the doctor no longer provided medical services to those covered by Medicaid. It was explained to them that the reimbursement rates paid to the doctor for his services were meager compared to the rates he received from other insurers and programs. So the family was suddenly without a physician because he had decided he could no longer accept the minimal reimbursement rates paid by Medicaid.
Marc and Patti also have had tremendous difficulty in getting prescriptions for their children. Elizabeth, who requires medication for her allergies; Michael, who needs medicine for ADHD and Tourette Syndrome; and Steffy, who requires medication to regulate her periods, all have had to go without the prescriptions that could significantly help or alleviate their conditions. This situation causes significant frustration and strain on Marc and Patti who want to give their children the medical care they need but are unable to do so because of extremely limited access to qualified, dedicated physicians who accept Medicaid.