Last month, I wrote a letter to urge the Governor and the leadership in the Florida legislature to make children’s healthcare a priority by adding KidCare reform to your legislative agenda to the next legislative session. I have not yet received a response.

I stared in disbelief when I read that Governor Charlie Crist said that the legislature was “appropriately” focused on cutting property taxes and that this is “very, very important”. Cutting taxes is more important than children and their healthcare—and they are not afraid to admit that. It is clear by the actions of our state leaders why Florida has the nation's second-highest percentage of uninsured children.

The obstacle is not the money. The National Conference of State Legislators reported that Florida reported gains to the tune of $2.742 billion in their budget revenue. Many other states capitalize on federal funding by putting their dollars to work in conjunction with this opportunity. Yet, Florida has forfeited $139 million in federal dollars since 1998 because it hasn’t chosen to match federal funds. Over the past few years, more than 100,000 Florida children have lost their health insurance coverage through the KidCare program because the state of Florida has refused to make children’s healthcare a priority.

Each day my staff and I work with families that are distraught because their children are locked out of KidCare. I call on the Governor and the Florida legislature to speak with the families that I work with and tell them that property taxes are very, very important and KidCare can wait until the fall. I doubt I will see that.

The misplaced priorities of our Governor and state legislature are shameful. Florida must make children’s healthcare a priority.