Press Release

Santa Monica, CA - Wendy Lazarus, Founder & Co-President, joins a broad coalition of health care officials and advocates for a press event in Los Angeles to urge state elected officials to move quickly to expand Medi-Cal.  If legislation to expand Medi-Cal is not signed into law in the next 6 weeks, over one million low-income, working people will be left without coverage as healthcare reform is implemented. For each month of delay, California will lose hundreds of millions of federal dollars.

From Ms. Lazarus' statement, "After decades of work to secure health coverage and care for California’s 10 million children, we are finally only 188 days away from when the doors to that coverage will open thanks to the Affordable Care Act. The Medi-Cal expansion is an indispensable piece to ensure that when families start to enroll on October 1, 1.4 million low-income parents and childless adults will not be left out. Although the Medi-Cal expansion would provide coverage for adults, it also affects millions of children." 

Download Ms. Lazarus' full statement and event press release. 

The Children's Partnership is pleased to announe that Beth Morrow, Director of Health IT Initiatives, is joining the  Consumer Empowerment Workgroup (CEWG) of the Health IT Policy Committee (HITPC). The newly formed Consumer Empowerment Workgroup’s charge is to provide recommendations on policy issues and opportunities for strengthening the ability of consumers, patients, and lay caregivers to manage health and health care for themselves or others.  Download the full statement here. 

The Children''s Partnership joins a coalition of child advocates to ensure that children with autism do not lose access to critical behavioral health services after their transition from Healthy Families to Medi-Cal. “The state needs to address this urgent situation immediately and ensure children in Medi-Cal receive medically necessary behavioral health therapies,” said Wendy Lazarus, Founder & Co-President of The Children’s Partnership. “Because of this serious problem, the state should not move forward with any future phases of the Healthy Families transition until the issue is resolved and continuity of care can be assured.”

Download the full press release here. (pdf)

The Children's Partnership and SPARC co-released Electronic Information Exchange: Elements that Matter for Children in Foster Care, an issue brief that lays out the case for investing in systems that enable electronic information exchange for children and youth in foster care, reviews existing efforts underway in states and communities, identifies specific elements that serve this population most effectively, and discusses steps that state advocates can take to establish an integrated electronic record of care for foster children and youth in their state.

The Children’s Partnership and SPARC will be hosting an webinar on Thursday, January 31^st at 2:00pm EST. Speakers will include Beth Morrow, Director of Health IT Initiatives at The Children’s Partnership, author of the issue brief. 

You can register for the webinar here.

Santa Monica, CA– Today, The Children’s Partnership released an issue brief and action plan addressing the challenges Medi-Cal faces in providing dental care to children in California. The issue brief, Fix Medi-Cal Dental Coverage: Half of California Kids Depend On It, also stresses the impact that newly enrolled children will have on the state’s strained dental care system. “California’s Medi-Cal dental system is already struggling to serve children and is unprepared for what’s to come,” said Wendy Lazarus, Founder & Co-President of The Children’s Partnership. “California’s kids deserve real access to quality dental care—not a false promise of it.” The brief highlights the challenges facing Medi-Cal in providing dental care to children, examines the State’s efforts to address these problems, and provides an action plan to help the program serve its growing number of enrollees. 

Download the full press statement here . 

The Governor has jumpstarted the New Year well by solidifying the state’s newfound fiscal stability and opening the door to new opportunities to shore up and strengthen programs for California’s children and families. A statement from Wendy Lazarus, Founder and Co-President of The Children’s Partnership, was released today in response to the Governor’s Budget announcement. 

Read the full statement here.

On January 1, 2013, federal lawmakers passed a bill that will improve social workers’ access to school records of the children and youth in foster care that they support. 

"Through the Uninterrupted Scholars Act, Congress has provided an important stepping stone to improve outcomes for children and youth in foster care," said Beth Morrow, Director, Health IT Initiatives. Download her full statement here .

Read about the Uninterrrupted Scholars Act here. 

The Children's Partnership joins the coalition of California health advocates and providers calling on Governor Brown and the Legislature to renew a critical revenue source -- a Managed Care Organization (MCO) assessment that could raise approximately $350 million per year --- to address the health care needs of children.

Download the full statement here.

The Children's Partnership joins other national children’s advocacy organizations to applaud Senator Barbara A. Mikulski for her efforts to ensure children are held harmless in the ongoing budget negotiations. Chair of the HELP Committee on Children and Families, Mikulski has written a letter addressed to the House and Senate leadership co-signed by Sens. Al Franken (D-MN), Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA) and Tim Johnson (D-SD).

Downoad the full press statement here. 

California plans to start moving children from the Healthy Families Program into Medi-Cal on January 1. The Children's Partnership joins other advocates to highlight the importance of assuring children’s health care is not disrupted.

“The health of the 875,000 children who will move from Healthy Families to Medi-Cal, as well as the nearly 3.7 million children currently in enrolled in Medi-Cal, depends on the success of this transition. All eyes will be on the state. We and families across California are counting on state officials to track and quickly resolve any problems that arise,” said Wendy Lazarus, Founder and Co-President of The Children’s Partnership.

Download the full press release here. 

The Children's Partnership developed a new factsheet on the CHDP Gateway, with recommendations on incorporating it as part of California’s implementation of the ACA and further strengthened to serve as an important pathway for meeting the health and enrollment goals of health care reform while maintaining its ability for children to access needed services.

According to a new report by the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute’s Center for Children and Families, the rate of uninsured children in California declined 1.5 percent between 2009 and 2011, which ranks the state 12th in the nation for the decline in the child uninsured rate. 

“This reduction in uninsured children is fantastic news for our state’s children and families, said Wendy Lazarus, Founder and Co-President of The Children’s Partnership. “With the implementation of health care reform just around the corner and our state’s commitment to successfully transition nearly 900,000 children from Healthy Families to Medi-Cal, it is finally within our reach to ensure that every child in California receives high quality health coverage.”

Read more about the effort to insure all of California's children in the joint press release here. 

The California children’s health coverage coalition applauded Governor Jerry Brown for signing several pieces of key legislation that move health care reform forward in California but also expressed disappointment that other key bills affecting children’s health were vetoed. 

“We are deeply concerned that the governor has put the brakes on these two critical elements of the Affordable Care Act. Putting an end to discrimination against those with pre-existing health conditions is a hallmark of health reform, as is protecting the children who are most in need of affordable health insurance. This decision by the governor is not acceptable for California’s children and needs to be remedied,” said Wendy Lazarus, Founder and Co-President of The Children’s Partnership in a joint press release . 

Last week, Governor Brown vetoed SB 1050, authored by Senator Alquist, designed to improve the lives of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders through the deployment of telehealth. 

"Despite our disappointment, we continue to work to ensure that underserved children receive the health, dental, and other support services they need through the wise deployment of telehealth. Through successful policy changes that increase access to telehealth for families and on the ground demonstration projects, The Children’s Partnership is harnessing the benefits of technology to make a difference in the health and well-being of California’s children," said Jenny Kattlove, Director of Strategic Health Initiatives. Download the full statement here.

The Children’s Partnership released Can Game Companies Help America’s Children?, the result of a yearlong study of the $24.75 billion digital game industry and its current—and potential—participation in cause partnership efforts.  The report provides a focused look at the demographics of gamers, trends in social gaming and virtual goods, and the potential of cause partnerships to benefit child health and education.  

“At a time when US children are suffering more than at any time since the Great Depression, game companies can—and should—be at the forefront of a high-impact form of philanthropy that benefits their bottom line while also improving children’s health and success in school,” said Wendy Lazarus, Founder and Co-President of The Children’s Partnership and lead author of the report in a full press release.

Dental disease is the most common chronic disease and unmet health care need of children in California and nationally. In fact, nearly a quarter of California’s children, ages 0-11, have never been to a dentist. To illustrate the dental access problem in California, TCP is releasing a series of stories from families who have faced challenges accessing dental care for their children. These stories highlight how the lack of routine dental care results unnecessary pain, missed school days, and visits to the emergency room.

Learn more about TCP's efforts to meet the dental care needs of California's children here. 

Santa Monica, CA, June 28, 2012 -- "America’s children won today," declared Wendy Lazarus, Founder and Co-Presdient of The Children's Partnership. "By upholding the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Supreme Court has sided with making health coverage a reality for children across the United States. Nearly all of the nation’s 75 million children have already benefited or will soon benefit from the ACA. As a result of the Supreme Court’s decision, millions of parents will continue to have the peace of mind that comes from knowing that their children can get health services when they need them. Now, as we put this historic decision behind us, we will work with public and private sector leaders to implement the ACA effectively so it meets its potential to give kids a healthy start in life." 

Read the full statement here.

Santa Monica, CA, June 27, 2012 -- "Today, California's Legislature, at the urging of Governor Brown, voted to close down the highly successful Healthy Families Program that has helped millions of kids get the health care they need over the past 15 years. The Children's Partnership and 70 other organizations had strongly opposed the close down of Healthy Families which today provides health care to nearly 900,000 children, favoring a phased transition that would protect children's health," says Wendy Lazarus. 

The California Assembly Health Committee voted 19-0 in support of SB 694, authorizing a study to test new workforce models with the goal of increasing access to dental care for California's children. In a press statement, Wendy Lazarus praised this leadership. "This bi-partisan vote builds upon the positive Senate action earlier this year and brings children a step closer to having something to smile about."

Santa Monica, CA, June 21, 2012 -- "The Governor and Legislative leaders have struck a short-sighted deal that unnecessarily puts the health of California children at risk," said Wendy Lazarus. "While we understand that hard budget choices had to be made, those choices should not fall on the backs of our children and their ability to get the care they need to stay healthy and succeed in life." Ms. Lazarus joins a broad coalition of advocates who supported an alternative to today's state budget deal. See this Capitol Weekly piece for The Children's Partnership full position on this issue.

 Read the full press statement.

The Children's Partnership press release on joining a "friend of the court" (amicus) brief filed by the National Health Law Program with the U.S. Supreme Court supporting the Medicaid expansion provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Supreme Court agreed to hear oral arguments in late March 2012 about the constitutionality of the ACA's Medicaid expansion, along with other legal challenges.

SACRAMENTO, CA – This week, the 100% Campaign highlighted a new Urban Institute report whose findings call into question Governor Brown's proposal to move 875,000 children covered by Healthy Families into Medi-Cal. The issue brief, "The Future of Healthy Families:Transitioning to 2014 and beyond," summarizes research examining the potential impact of moving children currently receiving health coverage through California's Healthy Families Program to Medi-Cal or the California Health Benefit Exchange.

Download the full press release.  

Santa Monica, CA – Children's advocates around California cheered the passage of critical dental health legislation by two State Senate committees this week. The legislation (SB 694) authored by Senator Alex Padilla is designed to improve the oral health of California's children. The bill received overwhelming bipartisan support.