Children’s Health Fund commends efforts to restore funding to programs that comprise essential threads of the “Child Health Safety Net” and urges bipartisan efforts to complete the job

On September 30th, funding for a number of critical child health safety net programs expired, putting the health and wellbeing of millions of kids in jeopardy. We commend efforts within the House of Representatives to bring needed long-term stability to these important child health programs, but reject the idea that their preservation comes at the cost of defunding other programs that help support children’s health.

The child health safety net is a composite of national programs that provide for the health and well being of America’s medically underserved children. At Children’s Health Fund, our 30 year history of providing care has taught us that there are many strands comprising the web of services children need. Besides Medicaid – the program on which the child health safety net rests, there are several other programs that are essential to its overall effectiveness. Woven together, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Community Health Centers,   National Health Service Corps and the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program provide both health insurance and health care access – different programs that work best when they work together.

Together is the operative phrase here; Children’s Health Fund urges leaders on both sides of the aisle to work together to guarantee the longevity of these important programs.