Driver's mother, Alyce, could not find a single dentist who would accept Medicaid. An abscessed tooth became a brain infection. Emergency treatment cost a quarter-million dollars, but it was too late.
"And my son had to die -- 12 years old -- because of a tooth," she said.
When asked about the 9 million uninsured children, Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt said, "There is a widely held aspiration that we change that."
So what is being done about it?
"Well," said Secretary Leavitt, "there is a lot of talk about it, but thus far we have not achieved it. I think a moment is coming where we may see significant progress."
If and when that moment comes, it will be too late for Devante Johnson. He lost his insurance coverage while in the middle of treatments for kidney cancer.
"He was my little angel from God," said Devante's mother, Tamika Scott. "He was only sent for a season -- but the season he was here he did well, and I'm just honored to be his mother."
Coming up on future weekends:
ABC News examines charges that state officials deliberately erect bureaucratic barriers so that parents have trouble enrolling their children in insurance programs -- as a way to save money.
A look at a program that many believe has been very successful in covering children in working families. Why some believe this program is now in jeopardy.
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