1. More than 9 million children in the United States -- one in every nine -- have no health insurance coverage. Every 51 seconds, another child is born uninsured in America.
   
   
2. It costs less to provide health insurance coverage to children than any other group of people. For the cost of an apple a day (25 cents) from every American, we could provide comprehensive physical and mental health care to all 9 million uninsured children.
   
   
3. The majority of uninsured children live in two-parent households. About 87% of the live in families where at least one parent works. With health insurance costs soaring, even hard-working families need help paying for health insurance for their children.
   
   
4. Children without health insurance live sicker and die sooner than children with health insurance.
   
   
5. Timely access to health care is a smart economic move. Every dollar spent vaccinating children against measles, mumps and rubella saves $16 in medical costs to treat these illnesses.
   
   
6. Health care improves children's academic performance. Reading scores and school attendance of uninsured children improve dramatically after they become insured.
7. The United States stands virtually alone among industrialized nations in not guaranteeing access to health care for children.

This problem is real and it's not going away. That's why the Children's Defense Fund and other groups are advocating for legislation to provide health care for health coverage for all U.S. children. Get more child health facts on the CDF's Web site.