CHILD HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAMS NEED
MORE FEDERAL SUPPORT

Washington, DC---The two government programs responsible for providing health insurance coverage to more than 27 million children are short on funding and face harmful reforms that could jeopardize patient care, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

"Millions of working families depend on Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program for their health care," said AAP President Carden Johnston, M.D. "The government helped give birth to these programs, and its continued support is critical."

There are more than 9 million uninsured children through age 18 in this country, according to the AAP. More than 6 million of those are eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP, but are currently not enrolled. The Academy is a national partner in the Covering Kids and Families Back to School Campaign, launching today, to help enroll eligible children in the programs during August and September.

Concurrently, the AAP is working at the federal and state level to protect Medicaid and SCHIP from funding cuts and harmful changes. For example, as the economy worsened and more families became eligible for coverage, some states didn't have the money to maintain their programs. In some cases, enrollment was denied and services were cut. Additionally, Congress is expected to continue its work on reforming Medicaid next year. One idea under consideration is capping or limiting the funding, which the AAP opposes.

The Academy currently supports the following action at the federal level:

• Passing the "CHIP Act" (S.2759/H.R.4936). The bill would stop $1 billion in federal SCHIP funds from reverting to the federal treasury in September.
  
• Providing a federal financial incentive to states to enroll eligible children.
  
• Expanding coverage to include pregnant women and legal immigrant children.
  
• Simplifying the enrollment process.
  
• Increasing Medicaid physician payment. Inadequate payment impacts access to care for families.
  
• Improving SCHIP to ensure that states have adequate funds to be able to enroll and retain all eligible children.

"If these ideas are adopted, we can reduce the number of uninsured children in this country by 70 percent," Dr. Johnston said. "Children need the guaranteed coverage and benefits that Medicaid and SCHIP provide. An investment in the health of children is an investment in the future of our country."

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.