37 million children could lose health care
More than 340 organizations are calling on Congress to reject proposals that would slash Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provide comprehensive health care coverage to more than 37 million children.
First Focus Campaign for Children led 342 national, state, local and tribal advocacy groups in a letter to Congressional leadership urging lawmakers to “reject proposed cuts to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) because of the detrimental impact they will have on children’s health and well-being.” Congress has proposed cutting $880 billion from the programs.
“Medicaid and CHIP are not just line items in a budget that can be jostled and juggled at will — they represent the lives of more than 37 million children,” said First Focus Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley. “These programs directly contribute to the health and well-being of the next generation — and by extension to the health and well-being of the nation. Children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP have consistently demonstrated better health outcomes in adulthood, higher levels of school attendance, and greater academic success. These same children have lower high school dropout rates, increased enrollment in higher education, and enhanced future earning potential. We get that some lawmakers just don’t think about kids. But they should, and at the very least, think about the future of America.”
The budget resolution adopted by the House would force hundreds of billions of dollars in funding cuts to Medicaid and CHIP, which would decimate their ability to deliver health care to the children they currently serve. Medicaid and CHIP currently cover:
- 80% of children living in poverty
- 42% of all children under 6
- Over 40% of births in the U.S.
- Nearly half of the 13 million U.S. children with special health care needs
- 99% of children in foster care
- More than 40% of children in rural and underserved communities
- One-third of all school-age children (5-18 years old)
- Over 3 million children of veterans
Taking support away from children’s health through Medicaid/CHIP cuts is a Prescription for Disaster that will:
- Force states to cut services, eligibility, or provider payments that directly affect children
- Create significant financial pressure on children’s hospitals and pediatric specialty providers that depend heavily on Medicaid/CHIP
- Threaten school-based health services that rely on support from Medicaid/CHIP
- Jeopardize mental health and developmental services for children
- Hit hardest in rural and underserved areas, exacerbating existing health disparities
For more information on the impact of per capita caps, reductions to state Medicaid reimbursements and other potential cuts, see Prescription for Disaster: The Impact of Proposed Medicaid and CHIP Cuts on Children’s Health.