USATODAY.com - Cuts threaten kids' medical care A part-time job she kept on the side did not pay enough for her to get a private policy, but she needed medical help desperately. "I had this little boy, at the time he was a little under a year old, and he was sick all the time," she remembers. "Then we found out he had lead poisoning."
The expensive medications the baby needed, along with constant checkups, were paid for by the state insurance program. Without the program, Favela says, "I wouldn't know what to do."