A parent's worst nightmare: sick child, no insurance

Every parent knows it. The late-night sound of a child coughing uncontrollably. A flushed face that can only mean fever. A normally active child rendered listless by illness. For most, the worry is wrenching, but the routine is simple if urgent -- scoop up the child for an immediate trip to the family pediatrician's office, present an insurance card, fill out forms and perhaps fork over a co-pay.

But for some -- a growing number in Santa Cruz County, and elsewhere in this economy -- insurance for their children is something they just cannot afford. And for doctors treating children, they see an increasing panic among parents who cannot provide for their kids, who must take risks and shortcuts with their children's health.

Here are the stories of parents and families, of children and doctors. Here are the voices of mothers like Andrea Eaton, who has spent countless panicked hours navigating a bureaucratic labyrinth because she makes a few dollars too many to qualify two of her children for a state-funded insurance program.

Donna Gilmartin knew that panic, too. She'd just moved to town with Bryce, her then-10-week-old son. She could work only part-time, so she had no health insurance. Each day, she felt increasingly vulnerable. When her boss mentioned Healthy Kids, she quickly investigated and enrolled. The program was a boon to Bryce and a salve to Gilmartin's psyche. Healthy Kids came through for 1-year-old Tawny, too. When Dina Larsen, Tawny's mother, lost her job and her insurance, she said she experienced 10 of the most frightening days of her life. It was Healthy Kids that got life in balance again.

Then, there are the doctors, devoted pediatricians like Madhu Raghavan and Christine Griger, with a half-century of Santa Cruz pediatric care between them. They say they see an increasing number of kids like Bryce and Tawny -- but many of the ones they treat are children whose parents haven't been able to solve the insurance problem. They have no insurance.

And these physicians see something else. All too often, parents who can't afford to bring their children in try to care for their medical needs through long phone calls with doctors. When these uninsured kids show up, it's only when their condition is too bad to ignore. A once easy-to-care-for illness has become something serious.

These are the parents and the doctors who provide care for their children. These are the voices of the still unresolved children's insurance problem.

Richard Kipling works for the California HealthCare Foundation Center for Health Reporting.

Free Dental Work For Kids

Omaha, NE (KPTM) - Getting kids to go the dentist can be a challenging task.

But one program is making it easy for both kids and parents to polish the pearly whites.

It's called "Give Kids a Smile" and it was held today at the Douglas County Health Department Dental Clinic.

Ronald McDonald was there performing magic tricks and kids were having fun.

It sure didn't look like your normal dentist visit, but this event brightened the smiles on a lot of kids' faces. 6–year–old Lyssa Halterman is one.

It's probably because going to the dentist is a scary thing for most young kids.

But this event provides free dental work to youngsters who may not have gotten it otherwise.

"Dental care is the number one aliment with childhood diseases and a lot of kids just don't have access, parents can't afford it or don't have dental insurance so it's a big need," says Ronnett Davis, Supervisor of the Douglas County Health Department's Dental Clinic.

All the dental supplies were donated by local dentists, dental supply companies and the Ronald McDonald house.

About 10 dentists and 20 dental assistants are all volunteering their time and doing a little bit of everything.

"Basically we're providing exams, X–rays, cleaning, fluoride treatment, sealants, some restorations, some extractions, it just depends on the child," says Davis.

All of that work coming free of charge is important for the parents as well.

"It teaches children to take care of their teeth because you don't want your teeth rotting, so I think it's a pretty good deal," says Antanas Lizdas who brought his 2 kids to the event.

The Omaha District Dental Society and Douglas County Health Department teamed up for the "Give Kids a Smile" event.

This was the second year of the event and they look forward to continuing it in the years to come.