Health
Health care is critical for children’s growth and development. The federal Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid provide quality, affordable care for millions of children who would otherwise be uninsured. Thanks largely to CHIP, the rate of uninsurance among children has dropped to record lows, and First Focus is committed to protecting this success story.
Resources
16 National Health Care Organizations Urge HHS to Extend COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
Michele Kayal | May 11, 2022 |
Extension would shield children’s health insurance, food security First Focus on Children is pleased to be among 16 national organizations representing the public health community, millions …
Response to Request for Information on Medicaid & CHIP
Carrie Fitzgerald, Olivia Gomez | April 18, 2022 |
First Focus on Children submitted the following responses to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ request for information on access to coverage and …
Watch: Epidemiologist urges holistic approach to childhood COVID
Michele Kayal | April 14, 2022 |
Epidemiologist Theresa Chapple brought us an out-of-the-box perspective on this week’s Kids And COVID Conversation, starting with the consequences of comparing childhood COVID to …
ACA tweak to make insurance more affordable for many families
Michele Kayal | April 6, 2022 |
The Biden Administration plans to publish a proposal tomorrow outlining changes to the Affordable Care Act that eliminate the “family glitch,” a flaw that …
Comment on Child Nutrition Programs & Transitional Standards for Milk, Whole Grains, and Sodium
| March 24, 2022 |
First Focus on Children submitted the following comment in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) “Child Nutrition Programs: Transitional Standards for Milk, …
Kids and Covid: A conversation on mental health
Michele Kayal | March 18, 2022 |
“Teens are talking and we need you to listen.” Seventeen-year-old mental health advocate Trace Terrell called on Congress to create a national peer-to-peer teen …
Texas transgender directive is “dangerous, discriminatory, and completely unacceptable”
Michele Kayal | March 4, 2022 |
Governor Abbott’s recent directive to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and other state agencies to investigate gender-affirming care as child abuse …
Statement for the Record: Protecting Youth Mental Health
| March 1, 2022 |
First Focus submitted this statement for the record regarding the February 15, 2022 hearing on “Protecting Youth Mental Health” held by the U.S. Senate …
“Family glitch” could soon disappear from Affordable Care Act
Michele Kayal | February 2, 2022 |
The Biden Administration has ordered a review of regulations related to the Affordable Care Act with the aim of eliminating a flaw that excludes …
Fact Sheet: Removing the “Family Glitch” from the ACA
Elaine Dalpiaz, Olivia Gomez | January 27, 2022 |
On December 10, 2021, the Biden Administration took a positive step toward fixing the “family glitch,” which impacts the ability of over 5 million …