Cuts to Medicaid will hurt nearly half of U.S. kids
By Lisa Jarvis / Bloomberg Opinion
Republican lawmakers claim their proposal to cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid is designed to protect the country’s most vulnerable; that by focusing on work requirements, they’re simply eliminating waste from the bloated program and ensuring the money goes to those who truly need it.
In reality, anyone who relies on public insurance could be affected, including about 37 million kids, nearly half of all American children.
Some of those kids would lose out either because they are dropped from coverage or because the services they depend on are pared back as states grapple with the cuts. For others, the impact will be more indirect. Perhaps they can’t obtain mental health services because fewer providers accept Medicaid. Or maybe the pediatric dialysis clinic they use is forced to close. Or their caregiver loses coverage, and a medical emergency plunges their family into financial crisis.
Regardless of the form it takes, the result will be the same: worse health for our children, both in the near term and in their futures. The evidence overwhelmingly shows that ensuring children have access to care leads to better outcomes and that Medicaid improves their health and economic well-being into adulthood.
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/comment-cuts-to-medcaid-will-hurt-nearly-half-of-u-s-kids/