USATODAY.com - State budget belt-tightening squeezes health care for kids
WASHINGTON — Children across the country are being cut off from doctors because cash-strapped states are rolling back health insurance for the working poor, an investigation by Gannett News Service has found.

Twenty-two states have restricted children's health insurance programs over the past 18 months. More cuts are possible in 2004 as states face another round of daunting budget deficits.

For many families, especially those with chronically ill children, the state cutbacks have resulted in immediate hardship. Parents of sick, uninsured children also are likely to seek medical care through hospital emergency rooms and public clinics, even though they can't pay for it. An increase in so-called uncompensated care will translate into higher prices for families with health insurance, health professionals warn.

This will happen on the "adult" level too, driving up the cost of private insurance. Eventually we will have "socialized" health care because no one will be able to afford private insurance.

Pay now, or pay later.