When we hear the term "universal healthcare" in the news, on television, and in particular, during the 2008 political campaigns, it's perhaps sometimes overlooked that universal means everyone, including the nation's 8.3 million uninsured children. (2005 Census Bureau)

The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) makes insurance coverage possible for many families, but not all, since it is each state's responsibility to determine how they choose to administer the program and which children are eligible. As with the number of uninsured adults, the number of uninsured children is on the rise while at the same time funding for children's health insurance is being decreased in many states.

Health advocates in Kentucky are among those calling for more money to be allocated to the Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program. Like their neighbors in Indiana, Kentuckians are looking to an increase in cigarette tax to generate the funding necessary to provide health insurance coverage for everyone in the state.  (Lexington Herald-Leader, Jan 15, 2008)

Reductions in funding children's health insurance are also on the table in South Carolina. Although details are yet to be hammered out, tobacco tax is the most likely source for a trade-off. (The Beaufort Gazette, Jan 16, 2008)

Similarly, in Iowa, proposals for greater investment in health coverage for the state's uninsured children has been cut by two-thirds. Here the emphasis isn't so much on higher cigarette taxes, but rather, that residents become fitter and healthier, both by losing weight and by way of smoking bans in public places. (Des Moines Register, Jan 16, 2008)

Current information for each state is always available at Kentucky Health Insurance, South Carolina Health Insurance and Iowa Health Insurance. And if you're looking to buy health insurance for your own children, log on to Children's Health Insurance Quotes for free quotes from major medical carriers.