Leslie Marshall: Medicaid Cuts Are 'Immoral' and 'Inhumane'
Pleased to talk with Leslie Marshall recently on her nationally syndicated program (see full discussion at the bottom) about the assault on children being waged, in part, though the $880 billion in proposed cuts to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
“Is this political suicide?” Leslie asked me.
It just might be.
For those Members of Congress who vote to cut hundreds of billion from Medicaid and CHIP, they would decimate the health care coverage of more than 37 million children. A KFF survey show that just 17% of Americans think we spend too much on Medicaid while nearly 5-in-6 Amricans think we spend about the right amount OR not enough.
First Focus Campaign for Children has spearheaded a letter that now has more than 350 national, state, local, and tribal advocacy groups in a to Congressional leadership urging lawmakers to reject these proposed cuts.
And consider these alarming facts:
Medicaid and CHIP currently cover:
80% of children living in poverty
41% of the births in the U.S.
Nearly half of the 13 million U.S. children with special health care needs
99% of children in foster care
More than 40% of children in rural and underserved communities
One-third of all school-age children (5-18 years old)
Marshall said it very well when she described cutting health care to vulnerable children, such as to foster children who have already suffered from either abuse and neglect, as “immoral” and “inhumane.”
My colleague Abuko Estrada recently wrote a piece called Prescription for Disaster that outlines the impact that these proposed cuts would have. For instance, they would:
Force states to cut services, eligibility, or provider payments that directly affect children
Create significant financial pressure on children’s hospitals and pediatric specialty providers that depend heavily on Medicaid/CHIP
Threaten school-based health services that rely on support from Medicaid/CHIP
Jeopardize mental health and developmental services for children
Hit hardest in rural and underserved areas, exacerbating existing health disparities
Below are links to the full discussion between Leslie Marshall and me.
YouTube Video:
What You Can Do:
Share this post to spread awareness about how the needs and problems facing children.
Contact your elected officials to urge them to address the needs and concerns of children and families.
Subscribe to Speaking of Kids because kids can’t vote, but with your support, we can help advocate for them.