Editor:

President Bush, Governor Riley, presidential candidates and members of Congress are all discussing how to extend health coverage to uninsured children by reauthorizing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), commonly known as “ALL Kids” in Alabama.

Not having health insurance for children is something that thousands of parents in our community worry about every day. Currently there are 9 million children in our country who are uninsured — that’s equal to every first- and second-grader in the nation’s public schools. Uninsured children are less likely to receive care for childhood illnesses such as sore throats, earaches and asthma. These children are less prepared to learn in school and to succeed in life. Allowing our kids to start out at such a disadvantage is simply unacceptable.

For the past 10 years, ALL Kids and SCHIP programs across the nation have provided a safety net for many hard-working families who either aren’t offered health coverage for their children through their jobs, or who can’t afford private coverage. The program has reduced the number of children living without health insurance by more than one-third.

President Bush, governors and members of Congress are debating how much money to devote to coverage for our children. If Congress does not provide sufficient funding for SCHIP, millions of children who desperately need health insurance will remain uninsured. We urge Mobile and Baldwin County residents to take action by writing to their congressional representatives expressing the need for continuation and increased funding of this worthy and much needed program.

Mercy Medical is joining thousands of people nationwide to highlight the success of SCHIP and demonstrate the need for its reauthorization and expansion. April 23-29 was Cover the Uninsured Week, the centerpiece of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Cover the Uninsured campaign. We are urging all citizens to get involved by visitingwww.CoverTheUninsured.org. Readers are encouraged to learn more about Alabama’s program by watching the video at www.adph.org/CAKF/.

Thank you for helping us publicize this urgent need in our community.