Students also need health insurance

New binders and blue jeans are important to start your kids' school year off right, but making sure they have health insurance and a regular doctor who cares for them is an even higher priority.

Parents whose children are uninsured should enroll them in All Kids.

Thanks to All Kids, children get linked to a regular primary care doctor who is familiar with the child's medical history and can provide cost-effective, coordinated care.

Having a regular doctor means that illnesses can be detected early and treated properly so everyone spends less time and money in the emergency room.

Children enrolled in All Kids are more likely than uninsured children to have yearly physicals, get their vision, hearing and learning ability tested, be up-to-date on immunizations, and have regular dental checkups.

They are more likely to keep their asthma or diabetes under control, and they can see a mental health professional if they need help with behavioral or emotional issues that interfere with their schooling.

As kids get ready to go back to school, our state leaders get ready to go back to the ballot box in November.

Whatever else they may have to answer for, they can be proud of All Kids.

All Kids is a high quality program for all families who need it, and this puts Illinois far ahead of most other states.

The back-to-school season is the perfect time for parents to do their part by enrolling their children and taking them to the doctor so that they can get the care they need to grow, learn and do their best in school.

All Kids covers the full range of medical care. It is free for low and moderate income families and charges affordable premiums to higher income families.

John Bouman

President

Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law

Chicago