Medicaid is at risk, and so is the health of millions of children and families who rely on it.
Medicaid is a jointly funded federal and state public health insurance program that provides comprehensive, low-cost coverage to eligible children, elderly individuals, low-income adults , and people with disabilities. The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is another jointly funded federal and state health insurance program that provides healthcare coverage to children under age 19 and to pregnant individuals living in households with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to afford private insurance.
Medicaid and CHIP are lifelines that form the backbone of the healthcare safety net, ensuring that people from under-resourced communities can access the coverage and care they need to thrive and succeed. Medicaid covers more than 37 million children, nearly half of all children in the United States (74 million). Additionally, children are the single largest group of Medicaid and CHIP enrollees, accounting for nearly half (47.6%) of the program’s enrollees.
In fact, Medicaid has been designed to protect and advance child health. Medicaid programs are required to cover all medically necessary physical and behavioral health services for eligible children under age 21 through a provision known as the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit. Further, Medicaid plays a key role in ensuring schools can provide healthcare services to students, particularly those with disabilities and those from low-income families. Both Medicaid and CHIP have dramatically expanded children’s access to healthcare. Since CHIP’s creation in 1997, CHIP and Medicaid have helped reduce the uninsured rate among children by more than 60% over the past two decades.