Issue	Solution
Children’s Health Insurance
In some communities, health care is not readily available and participants are unaware of health care options. Expanding children’s health care coverage to include preventive care is cost-effective — according to the Center for Disease Control, for every $1 invested in immunizing a child, we save $10 in health care costs over the child’s life. FACT: 3 million children eligible for Medicaid don’t participate. FACT: In 1996, 24.3 percent of households earning below $25,000 annually had no health insurance of any kind. CPA Resource: Southeast Community Policy & Leadership Forum	Expand state Medicaid coverage. Establish Community Health Worker programs as a lower-cost, community-based source of quality medical care and jobs (overview guidebook available from CPA). Increase knowledge of Medicaid coverage and accessibility.
Women’s Health & Security
In a recent survey, 65 percent of women ranked health care as their greatest concern — violence ranked second. Domestic violence, directed particularly against women, accounts for 30 percent of all emergency room visits each year. FACT: As of December 1997, 23 states have enacted legislation prohibiting insurance discrimination based on domestic violence history. FACT: Women are 51 percent of the population, but make 75 percent of health care decisions. CPA Resource: Women & the Economy Program	Promote comprehensive and preventive health care for women and their families. Put an end to “drive-by” deliveries. Enact state laws extending required hospital stays for births and mastectomies (model legislation available from CPA). Prohibit insurance companies from raising rates or denying coverage based on domestic violence history or genetic testing (model legislation available from CPA). Enact state “violence waiver option” laws to protect a domestic violence victim’s welfare benefits beyond the usual expiration date (model legislation available from CPA).