Ready Services – Health Making Young Children the Top Economic Priority in Alabama

Ready Services – Health Having health insurance that covers regular preventive health check-ups including: social and emotional/mental health dental health regular screenings to identify problems early on consistent health care in a “medical home” and referrals for additional services when needed saves employers and taxpayers money by decreasing costly visits to emergency departments and reducing absenteeism. Making Young Children the Top Economic Priority in Alabama

Ready Services – Health Alabama ranks better than the national average in number of children with health insurance Coordination between public and private – single application process for Medicaid, AllKids, and Alabama Child Caring Foundation Public-private partnership model Realistic goal of having EVERY Alabama child covered by health insurance Making Young Children the Top Economic Priority in Alabama

Ready Services – Health An ounce of prevention is actually worth a pound of cure. A simple ear infection can be treated with a $20 antibiotic. . . or if left undetected can result in lifelong learning problems and related costs associated with language delays.  Routine childhood vaccination saves nearly $10 billion in direct medical costs. Making Young Children the Top Economic Priority in Alabama

Ready Services – Health Obesity is the single biggest reason for the increase in health costs, accounting for more than 9% of all spending. Alabama has the 2nd highest rate in the country. Overweight preschool children are 5 times more likely to be overweight by age 12, and for 50-80%, obesity persists into adulthood. Health care costs average 37% more than for people of normal weight, adding $732 to the annual medical bills of every American. Making Young Children the Top Economic Priority in Alabama

Ready Services – Health Mental health problems often begin early in life, and if untreated can carry long-term consequences. Persistent problems interfere with education, social development, and employment: higher dropout rate, unemployment and juvenile justice involvement. Costs to society are 10 times higher than those without such problems. Making Young Children the Top Economic Priority in Alabama

Ready Services – Health Depression, the most common mental disorder, costs employers $44 billion a year in lost productivity (including worker absenteeism and reduced job performance). And maternal depression is one of the adverse experiences that interferes with healthy brain development of very young children. Making Young Children the Top Economic Priority in Alabama