Tobacco Documents Online

The and Voice for Strong Families FOP, IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mary Elle~ Saunders or Sh~oh Hop ,Idm (703), 706~600 A_A_FCS ENDORSES ~ C~REN'S ~ ,HEALTH INSURANCE AND LOWE.R DEFICITS BILL The American Association .of Family and Cons~amer Sciences (AAFCS) announces its strong endorsement of the Children's Health Insurance and Lower Deficits bill introduced by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT). "The members of this association are very concerned about the plight of the over 10.5 million children in the United States who have no heakh insurance," said Penny Ralston, CFCS, president of AAFCS. "Over ninety percent of these children have working parents whose- income is above the Medicaid eligibility line but well below the level it takes to afford private health insurance. If this problem is not dealt with now, there could be as many as 13 million uninsured children by the year 2002. This bill will help resolve this national need." As stipulated in the proposed legislation, grants will be available to help families purchase private health insurance for their children. The program will be financed by a cigarette tax increase of 43 cents per pack, which will also help redu~ze teenage smoking. Two thirds of the funds will be allocar~l for children's health insurance while the remahaing one - more - 1555 King Su-eet * Alexandria. Virginia 2231~-2752 703-706-4600 - Fax: 703-706-4663 - E-mail: staff@~afcs.org TI41630481

third will be allocated to reducing the national hatget ~. The progr~_m would be admjnLotered through the states and the private, sector and does not create an entitlement as the program is capped, not opt. AAFCS members are active participants in the healthy development of families and young people. Family and Consumer Sciences professionals develop, in, grate, and provide practical knowledge about the elements of everyday life - human growth and development, personal behavior, housing and the environment, food and nutrition, apparel and textiles, and resource management. Through their efforts, association members provide families of a~ types and from every economic demographic with the knowledge and skills .necessary to ensure that their young children have nurturing relationships, nutritious diets, and well- managed and sanitary housing environments. Utilizing our diverse and broad-based network of professionals in elementary, secondary, and post-secondary education; extension services; and government, business, and non-profit sectors; the profession's goal is to bring about meaningful change d'trough a powerfttl mix of public education and community mobilization activities. AAFCS, with more than 14,000 members in 54 affiliates, was founded in 1909 by Ellen Swallow Richards, a chemist who was the first female graduate and professor at the Massachusetts Inst,tute of Technology. Through Dr. Richards' vision, the profession of family and consumer sciences now stands as the =source and voice for strong families? The Association wholeheartedly supports the efforts of Senators Kennedy and Hatch on ben of the nation's children, this country's most valuable and indispensable resource. ### THICx30482