A big step for Florida's children

Posted on 02/08/2011 @ 03:11 PM

Today marked a major step for thousands of children in Florida without health insurance.

Conservative estimates suggest that more than 600,000 children in Florida do not have health insurance. Authored by Sen. Eleanor Sobel, SB 406 would require the application for the free and reduced lunch program to also be an application for Florida KidCare, and provide information about the Florida KidCare program, including contact information or a link to the online Florida KidCare application.

In this morning's meeting of the Health Regulation Committee, the bill passed unanimously with Sen. Don Gaetz, Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla and Sen. Rene Garcia all speaking in favor of the legislation. Early estimates are that the bill would allow for an additional 153,060 children to receive insurance coverage under KidCare. The next stop for the bill is the Education Committee and then on to the HHS Appropriations Committee.

Click here to learn more about SB 406. If you are interested in how you can show your support for the bill, please contact your local organizer by clicking here.