Commissioner Murman’s guest column on Children’s Week appeared in today’s Tampa Tribune:
COMMENTARY
Editorial: Children’s Health is up to us
Published: January 28, 2016
It’s legislative session and Children’s Week — a time to renew our promise to continue improving the children’s health system until all young people can get the care they need. More than 377,000 children are lacking health insurance in Florida. This number should serve as our goal for improvement. Until this number equals zero, there are children and families who need our help.
During my time as a state legislator, and in my current position as Hillsborough County commissioner, I have made it my mission to protect the health and wellbeing of Florida’s children. From the beginning of my career, I felt it was my responsibility to ensure that the health of our state’s youngest residents was treated as a top priority.
I have served on several health care committees, as well as acted as chair of the Florida House Appropriations Committees, and in each setting, I have aimed to give a voice to children. In our county, we’ve recently made great strides with nutrition education campaigns. Today, due to the dedication of organizations like Florida Healthy Kids, which provides affordable health insurance options for children through the Florida KidCare program, the tide is beginning to turn toward a healthy future.
I’m very familiar with the concerns connected with uninsured children. Hillsborough County accounts for 22,677 of the uninsured children in the state of Florida. Though this number seems daunting, I am confident we can change it. Florida Healthy Kids’ mission is to decrease the number of children who are lacking health insurance in the state by providing affordable options to families at all income levels. The organization has contributed greatly to the significant drop in the rate of uninsured children the state has seen over the past decade. This drop improves the health of these children now, but also prevents worsening illnesses and large medical bills for families in the future.
We can’t be complacent. Families can’t afford to wait until there’s an emergency when there’s help for them right now to get peace of mind about their child’s health. On a local level, I encourage county and city leaders to spread the word about this important issue and options available.
Statewide, let’s ask our Florida legislators to renew their support for the programs that bring about affordable access to health care for our children. Now is the time for our leaders to act on behalf of our most vulnerable population and give them the best chance for health care so they can have a healthy future.
For more information about Florida Healthy Kids and Florida KidCare, please visit www .healthykids.org and www.floridakidcare.org.
Sandra Murman is a Hillsborough County Commissioner, a member of the Florida Association of Counties and a Florida Healthy Kids Board Member. She can be reached at murmans@hillsboroughcounty.org.
