SCID or Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disease, better known as the “Bubble Boy” disease, is considered a pediatric emergency. You don't have to live in FL to sign this and tell Fl Gov. Rick Scott what he's doing is killing innocent children. Babies with SCID appear healthy at birth, but without early diagnosis and treatment, usually a bone marrow transplant from a healthy donor within months of birth, these infants cannot survive. With early diagnosis and treatment, these babies have a very high probability of living normal, healthy and productive lives. It is currently estimated that 1 in 32,000 babies are born with SCID per year. That means that between 8 and 10 babies will be born this year with SCID in Florida alone! Of these 8 babies, 4 of them will be on Medicaid and the state will have to pay millions of dollars per year to try and treat them. Baby #1 was from Orlando and passed away in February 2011. Baby #2 is sick in the hospital right now in pain and fighting for his life.

Recently Governor Scott line item vetoed a bill that would prevent the pain and suffering of these innocent children. It was line #485 – and was the SCID Testing Newborn Screening Program. This program which has been recommended by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, and the Florida Genetics and Newborn Screening Advisory Council would test babies at birth by getting a few drops of blood and screening them for SCID along with the other mandatory conditions which all Florida newborns are currently screened for, such as Sickle Cell and Cystic Fibrosis. The money needed to fund the start up of this program is currently sitting in the Planning and Evaluations Trust fund and would not come from general revenue dollars. The money needed to sustain the program will continue to come from billing private insurance and Medicaid. Newborn screening for SCID will actually save the state money by decreasing the long-term care costs and treatment to babies with this horrific disease that the state will otherwise have to pay.

It’s time we let the Governor know that this veto does not save Floridians any money and instead puts helpless babies lives at risk! By signing this petition you will let him know it’s not ok to let babies die from this treatable disease