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AAP News Vol. 15 No. 2 February 1999, p. 5 © 1999 American Academy of Pediatrics
Aproximately 11.6 million children ages 18 and younger currently do not have health insurance coverage. Millions more have insurance that is inadequate. Each day, more than 3,000 young people in the United States become regular smokers. One-third of them will die from a tobacco-related disease. As startling as these numbers are, the U.S. Congress has yet to pass effective legislation to address either health care coverage or tobacco control. As the new Congress gets under way, we must let our senators and representatives know that these issues are a top priority. You can help by speaking out, as a pediatrician and a child advocate, to your members of Congress. The Academy remains committed to providing quality health care to all children. Since managed care legislation did not pass last year, the 106th Congress is likely to address the issue during this session.
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