S-CHIP Blues

Children's health dominated Chiles' agenda, especially in his second term as governor of Florida.

President Bush's veto of expanded funding of S-CHIP--State Children's Health Care Program--has governors like Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) and Gov. Tim Kaine (D) in uproar.

A half a dozen states have even filed suit against the federal government to seek redress of this grievance.

Regardless of the political winds, the Lawton and Rhea Chiles Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies continues vital research on infant mortality and prenatal/early childhood health care.

The Lawton Chiles Children and Family Health Care Center in Bradenton, Florida offers pediatric care to folks like 4-year-old Eva Vasquez. A recent Bradenton Herald article discusses how poor families can "fall through the cracks" when they're too well-off for Medicaid, but not wealthy enough to buy decent insurance. That's where S-CHIP comes in. But if there is no money for S-CHIP, there is often little recourse but staying at home and hoping to get better.