New Hampshire also already has one of highest rates of insured children and adults in the nation. But every family deserves that security. No parent should have to worry about how they are going to pay to take a sick child to the doctor. No parent should have to hesitate about taking a toddler in for a checkup. Children's health care is a great investment.
Healthy children are more able to learn.
According to one study, uninsured children are 25 percent more likely to miss school. Another study found that nearly 1 in 5 uninsured children had untreated vision problems, and children unable to see the blackboard often fall behind in school. The uninsured are three times as likely not to receive needed medical care, over 50 percent more likely to need hospitalization for conditions like pneumonia or diabetes, and four times more likely to rely on an emergency room. The Children's Health Insurance Program has already made a major difference for New Hampshire's working families. We must make sure all families have the security that Cheryl Burns now has, knowing that she can take her two boys to the doctor and that she can buy their medication.