West Virginia's senior senator made a special visit to the dentist to highlight children's health care on Wednesday.
Senator Jay Rockefeller, D-West Virginia, was in Beckley to shine light on the importance of dental coverage under the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
"They are such cute kids and you just look at them and you say we have to do everything to help them grow up and have a chance. And they're in head start so that helps them a lot. But not everybody's in head start," said Rockefeller.
CHIP covers the more than 10 million children whose parents earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, the federal health insurance program for the poor, but who can't afford private insurance.
Although dental care is covered under the program, Rockefeller said enrollment in the program is historically low. He is calling on parents to start screening their kids for dental health problems at an earlier age.
"We have to keep pushing so these things are available. A lot of kids who are eligible for dental care at an early age don't know that they are," added Rockefeller.
After meeting with head start students having their teeth cleaned at the office of Dr. Michael Fizer, in Beckley, the Senator hosted a roundtable discussion at the Academy of Careers and Technology.
"Dental disease is the most common chronic childhood illness, affecting nearly 60 percent of kids between the ages of 5-17," said Rockefeller.
Parents interested in finding out whether their child may be eligible may visit http://www.chip.wv.gov/eligibility to learn more.
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