Posted by askPauline on November 15 2009 at 14:33:37:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Health care bill & homeschoolers posted by Teresa on November 13 2009 at 14:45:02:
Putting aside the larger issue of healthcare reform in general, I have been reading about this topic and here´s my two cents on the concerns that have been raised.
I think all of us would be concerned if the government wanted to do some kind of "home inspection", or "home visit" designed to check up on our parenting or schooling, and it´s wise, when concerns like this arise, to look into them. The best way to do this is to look at the proposed law - here it is:
http://docs.house.gov/rules/health/111_ahcaa.pdf (page 1177)
I´ve read the section of the bill that seems to be the area of concern, and I cannot see any language that calls for things I´d be worried about. I see nothing at all about "home inspections" of any kind, or anything at all that authorizes anyone from the government to enter your home without your permission, or anything that obligates you to use the services offered if you don´t want to.
I did not read the whole bill! I could have missed these things. If anyone *does* see language like this, I´d be very interested in reading it, because of course I (and many of us) would have concerns about such things.
Section 440, on page 1177, seems to be the part that has some folks concerned. It is called "HOME VISITATION PROGRAMS FOR FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN AND FAMILIES EXPECTING CHILDREN", which of course would make any of us think "Hey, what´s that about?" After reading it carefully, it seems to me to be about a "visiting nurse" or "health visitor" type of program for low-income families and those who are at risk for child maltreatment. It quite clearly states that the program would be voluntary. It would be for families who are expecting a baby, or who have children below school age. According to the bill, in order to be eligible for funding, the program must be designed to improve child health and development and reduce abuse and neglect. This sounds to me like the kind of thing a church outreach program or crisis pregnancy center would set up to help new moms learn the skills they needed to care for their children. Specifically, it calls for:
1) providing parents with age-appropriate child development info (which to me sounds like when you go to the pediatrician and they say "a baby of this age should be rolling over and getting ready to sit up", or "a toddler of this age should be able to say three or four words", or "expect your baby to start reaching for solid food in a month or so") .
2) knowledge of health and wellness issues (which to me sounds like "don´t feed honey to babies under a year", or "don´t put your baby on their tummy to sleep"),
3) modeling, consulting, and coaching on parenting practices (which of course could mean they´d be teaching things that are not how I personally think parenting should be done, but remember the target audience is parents with little knowledge, experience, or support in this area, so ideally *something* is better than *nothing*),
4) skills to interact with their child to enhance age-appropriate development (which to me sounds like ideas like reading to a toddler, or rolling them a ball to catch, or letting them pour water into containers, etc. - this stuff is obvious to those of us who had great parents and/or who have older experienced-mom "mentors" who can help us learn this kind of thing, but not everyone has that kind of support),
5) skills to recognize and seek help for issues related to health, developmental delays, etc. (which to me sounds like the advice you´d get at a well-child visit at a pediatrician - remember this population may not have access to one),
6) activities designed to help parents become full partners in the education of their children. (Of course *we* homeschoolers look at our children´s education quite differently than being just "partners", but again, let´s keep in mind the target population here - this sounds to me like encouraging parents to play *more* of a role in their children´s education, not less. This could mean a lot of things, from reading with your kids, to how to talk to their teachers, to understanding the basic goals and methods of preschool education).
I think a program like the one described could be quite good, or it could go very badly, depending on what they decided to teach in these various areas. I could see a church outreach program, or a crisis pregnancy center, applying for one of these grants to start a program of their own to offer these kinds of services to new parents in their community.
A mom I know in another state goes to a great "parent education" program in a local park, where they engage the kids in age-appropriate activities (thus modeling for the moms the kind of things their kids might benefit from - anything from playdough to large motor skills to listening to a story) and hold a "mom´s discussion circle" on various parenting topics. It´s a great program for my friend and for her kids. She meets other mome with young children, she gets ideas for addressing parenting problems from the discussions, her child gets age-appropriate educational play experiences. the program has one paid employee, and the moms all volunteer to bring snacks and help in the various play areas. On the one hand, this is a government-run program; there is some potential for it to be badly run or a waste of money or for the government employee to offer inappropriate advice, etc., but in practice it is quite popular and there is a waiting list to get in for each new session. I wish all moms could have something like this.
In the UK, it is common to have a "health visitor" check in on new moms in their homes several times. They can do basic health checks (like weighing the baby), give help and encouragement with breastfeeding, provide information on various community resources where needed, encourage the mom to consult a doctor if concerns about the baby´s health or development arise, and keep a sharp eye out for signs of postpartum depression. In the UK, everyone is eligible for this, but the US healthcare bill is proposing it only for moms who are low income (and thus might not otherwise have contact with health care providers due to financial or transportation issues), and those who are at high risk for abusing their children.
I would definately be concerned if this bill called for any kind of "home inspection" or any of the other concerns that have been raised, or even some kind of mandatory program for parents of young children, but I dont´ see any of that in the part of the bill that people seem to be concerned about. It is simply NOT about homeschooling at all.
My two cents, and again if anyone *does* see specific language that concerns them, I´d be interested in reading it.
Again - there lots of issues surrounding changing the way we pay for health care in this country, and I am not taking sides one way or the other on the bill as a whole. I am just looking at this one tiny part of the bill with an eye towards whether or not the claims that it calls for mandatory oversight of or interference with homeschooling are accurate.
If you have concerns with this bill, I urge you to read the section in question, and to decide for yourself how you feel about the proposed "visiting nurse/health visitor for moms of babies and toddlers" section. Once you´ve read it, you will either feel that the concerns are not valid, or, if you still have concerns, you will be able to advocate your point of view more accurately. Here is the link again; the section in question is on page 1177:
http://docs.house.gov/rules/health/111_ahcaa.pdf
--Pauline