Vision Care for Kids Act of 2007
Floor Speech
VISION CARE FOR KIDS ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - October 15, 2007)
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Mr. CLYBURN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 507 Care for Kids Act of 2007. As you know, this bill would award grants to states to: (1) provide comprehensive eye examinations by a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist for children identified by a licensed health care provider or vision screener, with priority to children under age nine; (2) provide treatment or services to correct vision problems of such children; and (3) develop and disseminate educational materials on recognizing signs of visual impairment in children.
Madam Speaker, studies have shown that African-Americans were most likely to report that they do not have a regular eye care professional (21 percent). And Hispanics were least likely to have seen an eye care professional in the last year (43 percent).
Madam Speaker, like many diseases, vision problems can disproportionately affect certain ethnic groups. For example, African-Americans are five times more likely to have glaucoma, Hispanics are at the greatest risk for cataracts, and myopia or near-sightedness is much more common among Asians than other ethnic groups.
But the story doesn't end there, a new study by University of Michigan pediatricians suggests that poor, uninsured, black and Hispanic children are getting the least vision care services in this country. In all, non-Hispanic and non-black children were 47 percent more likely than Hispanic children--and 59 percent more likely than black children--to have received eye care in the last year. In addition, the study showed that uninsured black or Hispanic children were less likely than uninsured children of other races or ethnicities to have corrective lenses.
Madam speaker, we have to do better on providing care to these communities and giving these communities the healthcare professionals to deliverer such care. To date, the current enrollment percentages of African-American and Hispanic students in optometry school is dismal at best. In the United States, only 3.5 percent of currently enrolled optometry students are African American. Hispanics do not fare much better, when including the InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico, the enrollment of Hispanics in U.S. optometry schools and Canada is even lower than that of African Americans.
So Madam Speaker while I strongly support this bill we must do more to address these disparities. Thus, the reason behind my outspoken wish to mandate vision care to the State Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) reauthorization. The lack of vision care for children can not be tolerated in this country and I look forward to working with the Congress in bringing this issue to the forefront of our debate around SCHIP.
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