About 15 percent of Florida's children - about 614,000 kids - lack health insurance. Of that number, nearly two-thirds live in families that qualify for Healthy Kids coverage, a federal-state program for children. However, Florida has created so many barriers to enrollment that many qualified families have been unable to sign up.

Now comes U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, who is leading the charge for a $50 billion, five-year reauthorization of the federal program that pays 71 percent of the cost of caring for children whose families meet a certain income test. The state pays the rest.

Castor hopes to keep Florida from being penalized for having created enrollment barriers that significantly lowered the number of children covered. Legislation in Washington would split new money among states based on their current enrollment. Castor wants to see the count averaged over several years, which would improve Florida's chances of receiving its fair share.

As important as this program is, it is unfortunate to see Democrats positioning children's health care as the first step toward a universal health care system.

Some lawmakers want to expand eligibility for Healthy Kids to four times the federal poverty level, meaning families earning around $80,000 a year could qualify. Such a change could draw families out of employer-sponsored health plans and create an entitlement program the nation can ill afford.

Florida has a huge problem with its uninsured, but the solution doesn't include taking people out of private insurance plans and putting them into a government-run program.

Lawmakers should concentrate on children who have no other options.