The number of Utah children under the age of 18 who were not covered by health insurance in 2006 was 89,500, an alarming 26 percent increase over 2005. And the 2006 figure represents a staggering 63 percent increase since 2001.

It is bad enough that nearly a half-million Utahns of all ages are uninsured, but allowing more children every year to go uninsured is intolerable.

The lack of a national health policy for all Americans is a critical issue that Congress must soon address. The soaring cost of job-based health coverage is forcing many families to opt out of employer-sponsored plans. The Utah Health Policy Project reports that job-based insurance premiums in Utah cost 66 percent more now than a decade ago.

But, while we wait for action in Washington, D.C., Utah officials can make sure our children are covered. The Children's Health Insurance Program, a federal, state-administered, insurance plan for children, can fill the coverage gap for youngsters and teens whose parents' incomes are too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to let them buy coverage.

The Legislature this year allotted $4.2 million to CHIP. That amount will generate more than $17 million in federal funds. But that only covers about 12,000 more children. What about the other 77,000?

To make sure Utah children have access to health care, the state should do a better job of educating parents about CHIP and Medicaid plans and reduce the red tape they must negotiate in order to enroll. Most important, the Legislature should fully fund the Utah CHIP program and consider raising the income ceiling for families to qualify.

Congress must also do its part. Members now debating the reauthorization of CHIP should not only extend the program but also increase funding so that states can make sure children are covered.

Uninsured children often don't get the checkups and vaccinations they need to stay healthy. Once they're seriously ill, many end up in emergency rooms, with Utahns picking up the tab in higher taxes and insurance premiums.

We can do more to keep our children - all of them - healthy. Shame on us if we don't.