Statement by Edward J. McElroy,
President, American Federation of Teachers
on the Need to Provide Affordable, High-Quality Healthcare for Children

Washington, D.C.—It is unforgivable that in a country as prosperous as the United States, nearly nine million children do not have access to affordable healthcare. AFT members from teachers to paraprofessionals to school nurses know that when uninsured children are denied medical care, it affects their ability to succeed in school, and prevents them from reaching their full potential in life.

The Bush administration’s excessive tax cuts for the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans have resulted in many states cutting back funds for their children’s health insurance programs (CHIPs) and hundreds of thousands of children have lost access to affordable healthcare. Still other states are being forced to raise eligibility requirements, restrict or eliminate benefits, increase co-pays or impose enrollment caps in the wake of reduced funding. Further, proposed reductions in Medicaid by the Bush administration also will harm our poorest children.

The AFT supports The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Covering Kids & Families campaign to raise the important issue of providing healthcare for all children and their families. We hope that we can soon work with an administration in Washington that will make affordable healthcare for all a top priority.

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