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Press Releases
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Children's Defense Fund Urges Congress to
Protect Children's Medicaid Health Coverage |
The Children's Defense Fund today urged Congress to reject short-sighted and unjust requests by the National Governors' Association to strip children of crucial medical services. The NGA's recommendations could deny the poorest children needed medical care by making it too expensive and eliminating benefits.
In policy statements and testimony to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, representatives of the nation's governors put children's Medicaid coverage on the chopping block by proposing to scuttle the essential Medicaid benefits package for children.
Decades ago, Congress wisely required that Medicaid-eligible children receive preventive check ups, screenings, immunizations, and treatment for their health problems. Congress also prohibited states from imposing financial barriers that block children's access to care. Congress should preserve these commitments to children.
"We urge members of Congress to reject these dangerous proposals that will jeopardize the health of millions of children," said Marian Wright Edelman, founder and CEO of the Children's Defense Fund. "Smokescreen words like 'flexibility' and 'reform' don't change the fact that children will be hurt. The real reform we need is health coverage for all children, who are the most cost effective of all Medicaid beneficiaries. Cutting children will cost-not save-money."
One in four children-25 million- depend on Medicaid for health coverage. These children are nearly half of all Medicaid beneficiaries, yet cost less than 25 percent of the program's expenditures. Children are not the cause of increasing Medicaid costs. Cutting children's health care is no solution.
To achieve savings by targeting children-the least expensive group served by Medicaid-either a lot of children will have to lose services, or a lot of services will have to be eliminated. Either way, the health of children will be sacrificed. In particular, low-income children with disabilities will suffer if Medicaid benefits are eliminated. To place 25 million vulnerable children at risk is immoral.
"At a time when there are nine million uninsured children, most in working families, governors should be leading the charge to insure every child. At a time when Congress is considering $106 billion in massive tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, it is unacceptable for children to bear the costs with their health," Edelman said.
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The mission of the Children's Defense Fund is to Leave No Child Behind and to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. CDF provides a strong, effective voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities. CDF educates the nation about the needs of children and encourages preventive investment before they get sick, into trouble, drop out of school, or suffer family breakdown. CDF began in 1973 and is a private, nonprofit organization supported by foundation and corporate grants and individual donations. We have never taken government funds. | 
