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| Bennett Calls on Dent to Accept Health Care Pledge |
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ALLENTOWN – Democratic Congressional candidate Sam Bennett today calls on her Republican opponent Charles W. Dent to join her health care pledge. Bennett pledges to buy her health insurance on the open market until every person in the Lehigh Valley has access to the same quality of coverage as their member of Congress. Republican Congressman Dent currently takes advantage of the state legislature’s health care plan paid for by Pennsylvania taxpayers. 36,000 of these taxpayers live in the Lehigh Valley and don’t have insurance themselves, according to the Pennsylvania Insurance Department, as reported by The Express-Times.
“The Lehigh Valley deserves a Representative who will lead by example,” says Bennett. “What’s good enough for Congressman Dent should be good enough for the rest of us. I believe every American has a right to quality, affordable health care, regardless of pre-existing conditions or where you work.”
In Lehigh and Northampton counties alone, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) enrolls about 6,700 children. An additional 7,400 children in the two counties remain uninsured. Congress tried to expand the SCHIP program to cover more than 5 million uninsured children and Republican Congressman Dent voted NO. Then Dent, along with Republicans in Congress, failed to stop President Bush, who blocked the bill from becoming law.
Sam Bennett also supports putting a nurse practitioner and dental hygienist in every school. This way every child has a chance to get a 3-month check up. Lehigh Valley schools are already moving forward with this idea. The Easton Area School District has been partnering with St. Luke's Hospital to provide dental care at Paxinosa Elementary School and Cheston Elementary, according to the Express Times. Two Rivers Health and Wellness Foundation has also funded dental care at Palmer and March elementary schools.
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