On March 1, 2013, a set of
across-the-board budget cuts to most federally funded programs,
including some focused on maternal and child health, took effect. The cuts, known as
sequestration, apply equally to defense and non-defense programs, and
will devastate already fragile budgets for key pediatric programs at a
time when 22% of U.S. children live in poverty.
Social Security, Medicaid,
the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program, child nutrition programs, Supplemental Security
Income, refundable tax credits such as the Child Tax Credit and Earned
Income Tax credit, veterans’ compensation and benefits, and federal
retirement are exempt from sequestration. However, funding would be cut
for many other programs important to children and pediatricians, both
from discretionary (annually appropriated) and mandatory (entitlement)
programs. If the cuts are enacted, funding levels are estimated to be
about 8% below last year’s levels.
On the discretionary side,
programs such as Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant,
National Institutes of Health pediatric research, Section 317
Immunization Program and the Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical
Education program will experience cuts. Mandatory programs affected by
sequestration include the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home
Visitation Program and the Prevention and Public Health Fund, among many
others. Federal agencies and departments will have limited control over
how the cuts will impact individual programs.
Congress has several options
are on the table to consider as an alternative to sequestration, though
given election politics and a truncated calendar before the cuts take
effect, it is unclear if or how Congress will act to undo the cuts.
What the Academy is fighting for
The Academy, along with a
diverse coalition of partner organizations, has led a charge in
Washington for Congress to avoid sequestration and instead pursue a
balanced approach to deficit reduction that does not disproportionately
hurt children. As part of this advocacy push, the AAP has partnered with
maternal and child health groups to collectively voice concern with the
adverse effects of sequestration on vulnerable populations, worked with
other public health organizations to draw attention to the damaging
impacts sequestration will have on the health and well-being of children
and families, and shared pediatricians’ concerns with Congress about
how the scheduled funding cuts will hurt programs that promote and
protect children’s health.
Academy
members are encouraged to reach out to federal legislators and the
media this month to share how budget cuts will affect pediatricians and
the children they care for by using the following resources:
