Congress is back, which means they’re back to talking about cutting Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
The budget resolution adopted by the House would force hundreds of billions of dollars in funding cuts to these programs, which would decimate their ability to deliver health care to the more than 37 million 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)
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.