(Portland)- City Commissioner Randy Leonard was outlined in chalk by a group of children as a part of “Chalk it Up” a national day of health care action.   Leonard was joined with Portland Mayor Tom Potter, Commissioners Sten and Saltzman, nurses, parents and health care advocates to call for an end to uninsured children. 

"One in every three uninsured children in Oregon has not seen a health care provider in the last year. That's not right, that's not acceptable, and as Mayor, I plan to do all I can to make these rights a reality for all the children in our community,” said Mayor Tom Potter.

With 113,000 children in Oregon lacking insurance it is critical we address this problem now.  As children return back to school, their parents are encouraged to sign them up for available public programs.

“No family should have to choose between providing health care for their children or paying for essentials like food and rent.   Providing health care to all children in Oregon should be a priority,” said Commissioner Dan Saltzman as he urged parents to call 1-877-KIDS-NOW to find out if their child is eligible for public health care programs.

A new report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation outlines advances in children’s health care coverage over the last five years.   The report found an average 20% drop nationwide in the percent of uninsured children since 1997.  At the same time, Oregon has experienced an 8% increase.  The Robert Wood Johnson report found that 30% of uninsured children in Oregon had not seen a health care provider in the last year; this is compared to only 15% of insured children.

“As front line health care professionals, we see this crisis first hand every day which is why we are moving aggressively to create this program to cover all kids in our state,” said Dana Welty, Neo-natal nurse at OHSU. ”But let’s be clear, that won’t solve the whole crisis and is a first step to universal health care in our state”

“Last year, my son Ryan had strep throat,” shared uninsured parent Aleta Taal.   ”I was worried it would go into rheumatic fever without treatment.  Faced with untenable choices I used my rent money to buy the prescriptions he needed.  It cost us an extra $75 in a late fee, but what choice did I have.  The financial burden of caring for your child without health insurance is devastating.” 

“Parents in Oregon should not have to choose between filling the refrigerator and filling a prescription,” said Maribeth Healey, Executive Director of Oregonians for Health Security. “Aleta’s story is unfortunately all too common.  Ballot Measure 44 would help parents’ access affordable prescriptions for themselves and their children.”

In a study of low-income Oregon families conducted in January 2006 by the Oregon Office of Health Policy and Research found, 21.5% of parents said their child did not receive necessary medication during the last year, because the parent couldn’t afford to fill the prescription. The same study found 40.6% of children with health insurance gaps greater than six months had unmet prescription medication needs.

The Portland event is part of a national health care day of action taking place in over 40 cities in the country.  The “Chalk it Up” event will include children learning about the importance of health care and sharing why health care coverage matters to children.