Healthcare for Children: Protecting and Expanding Access to Care

Medicaid is a program that helps with medical costs for some people with limited incomes, disabilities or the need for long-term care. Medicaid provides health coverage to millions of Americans, including eligible low-income children, pregnant women, adults, elderly adults and people with disabilities. Medicaid is administered by each state and must follow certain basic federal requirements. Responsibility for funding Medicaid coverage is shared between states and the federal government.

More than 30 million children in the United States rely on Medicaid for health insurance coverage, with another 7 million relying on CHIP. Here in Colorado, nearly half a million kids have Medicaid coverage. Many are from families with low incomes who do not have access to or cannot afford commercial insurance plans for their children. Others may be covered by commercial insurance but have serious, chronic medical conditions that require regular and ongoing therapies and specialized care covered by Medicaid.

Medicaid is an essential healthcare program for children in the United States, and we believe indiscriminate cuts to Medicaid will hurt children disproportionately. Children are already the lowest funded population group in the federal budget. As Congress considers the future of Medicaid, any potential reforms must protect the unique needs of children.

Further, cuts to Medicaid by lawmakers in Washington, D.C. could simply shift the costs from the federal government to states, providers, families and patients. These proposals could put state budgets at risk. This would make it hard for states to deal with competing priorities like education or transportation. 

 More than half of the beneficiaries in the Medicaid and CHIP programs are children, yet they account for less than 20 percent of the program’s spending. Current proposals to reduce federal spending in Medicaid would cut support for children’s healthcare, putting their health at risk. Our country needs these children to grow up to become the healthy adults who will drive our future economy, workforce, security and communities.

Children are the lowest funded population in Medicaid and in the federal budget as a whole. Children account for nearly half of Medicaid enrollees, but only about 20% of the costs.

Healthier kids grow up to be healthier adults.

Medicaid is an investment in our nation’s security and our future, covering the children who will grow up to become the next generation of our nation’s business, community and military leaders. Compared to the uninsured, research has shown that children with Medicaid are healthier and go on to achieve higher educational and economic outcomes as adults.

Medicaid provides for essential healthcare services that must be protected and strengthened, including pediatric-specific benefits. Ensuring kids have access to the care they need is the right thing to do, but it’s also a wise and necessary investment in our future as a nation.