Dr. Donald Kwalick, chief health officer for the Southern Nevada Health District, talks Wednesday about the increase in the number of children enrolled in Nevada Check Up or Medicaid. Photo by Gary Thompson.

Nevada parents whose children are uninsured shouldn't have to agonize over choosing between taking their child to the doctor or putting food on the table. Two public health care plans are available to children of low-income families: Nevada Check Up and Medicaid.

Unfortunately, at least 101,000 children under age 18 in Nevada are without health care coverage.

That's a concern of state and local health officials, despite data released Wednesday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation showing the number of uninsured children in the state in 2003-2004 decreased by about 3 percent since the 1997-98 fiscal year.

The number of children enrolled in public health insurance plans has increased by about 7 percent during that time, while the number of children with private insurance has decreased by about 6 percent, the report shows.

"School starts in a matter of weeks. Just like you buy backpacks and new clothes, parents need to look at health coverage as well,'' said Diane Taylor, director of school nurses for the Clark County School District.

Taylor's comments came during a news conference at the Cambridge Community Center as part of a nationwide effort to enroll eligible children in insurance programs.

Nevada Check Up is the state's children's health insurance plan providing low-cost health care coverage to low income, uninsured children from birth to age 18. They are children who do not qualify for Medicaid, which is a federal and state funded health plan for the poor.

The United States has an estimated 8 million uninsured children, roughly the same number as first and second graders in the nation, Taylor said.

In the last three years, the number of children enrolled in Nevada Check Up or Medicaid has increased by 70 percent, or 52,000 children, said Dr. Donald Kwalick, chief health officer for the Southern Nevada Health District.

Kwalick said the increase in coverage under a public plan is due to a population surge, especially in Clark County, as well as small businesses not able to provide health care coverage to employees and their families.

Kwalick said being uninsured has serious consequences for children. For instance, they are twice as likely not to receive any medical care compared to those with insurance. And, they are less likely to receive proper medical care for childhood illnesses such as sore throats, earaches and asthma.

"In my 19 years of being a school nurse, I know first-hand what healthy children can do in school versus those that are unhealthy. ... Students left untreated come in with fevers. You call home and they just come back the next day still sick,'' Taylor said. "They don't have the life in them to learn. They miss school. They miss homework. Then they can't catch up. It's a vicious cycle.''

To break the cycle, parents need to get educated and health officials need to provide them with appropriate information, Taylor said.

Nevada Check Up and Medicaid provide children with coverage for doctor visits, vision and dental care.

Juanita Watkins, who enrolled her daughter, Victoria, 14, in Nevada Check Up, said Wednesday parents shouldn't be discouraged or embarrassed about signing up.

"The application process was smooth,'' she said. "It's the kind of thing you can appreciate. ... A lot of working parents don't know this is available.''

Nevada families of four who earn less than $40,000 a year may qualify. For more information about Nevada Medicaid or Nevada Check Up, call (888) 660-4728.