A Health Care Plan With No Protection for Children

People around the country are watching with empathy and appreciation as late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel continues to tell the emotional story of his infant son.

We have seen a parent helpless with fear that a newborn child could be lost. We have heard what can happen when a highly skilled team acts quickly to save a young life.

And we are grateful that during such a difficult period for his family, Jimmy Kimmel has taken the time to think about the health care other children in the United States receive. He first called for every child to have access to needed health care, and then, during an interview on his show, he asked Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana): "Will the Senate make sure that the millions of children who count on Medicaid don't lose access to medical care because this House bill would cut $880 billion?"

From the perspective of pediatric medicine, that is the crucial question. Child health care has been a bipartisan concern for decades. Before the Affordable Care Act (or "Obamacare") was ever considered, millions of children received health care coverage through Medicaid.

In an effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, though, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed the American Health Care Act, which puts the health care benefits of 30 million children covered by Medicaid at risk. The Senate must vote on it before it can become law.

Sen. Cassidy has been willing to discuss concerns over protecting child health care. His answer to Jimmy Kimmel's question, however, reflects the confusion that many people have about the way children are covered: "Most children are covered under the CHIP program, and they are going to get the coverage they need," Sen Cassidy said. "That's almost independent of Medicaid."

He is incorrect. Medicaid insures more than 30 million children, making it the largest insurer of young people in the United States. The Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, covers an additional 6 million children. While Medicaid and CHIP are related, they provide benefits to different people. The danger of the AHCA is the effect it has on the 30 million children covered by Medicaid.

Medicaid allows those children to visit doctors and hospitals when they are sick. At least as important in this era of rising health care costs, it provides for children to receive screenings, vaccines and prevention-focused care that can keep them from becoming sick in the first place.

Obamacare had little effect on Medicaid coverage for children, so an effort to repeal and replace should, at the very least, leave children as well-covered as they were before.

The AHCA passed by the House does not. It goes beyond repeal to fundamentally change how Medicaid is funded. Medicaid funding rises and falls based on the prevalence of illnesses, or when medical science develops new treatments. The House bill would not allow that fluctuation and limits funding to states.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the AHCA would cut Medicaid spending 25 percent by 2026. The bill does not protect funding for children, so it's predictable that it would lead to a reduction in children's benefits as well.

In Ohio, where I live and work, 1.2 million children receive medical coverage through Medicaid. The Ohio Children's Hospital Association estimates that in our state alone, there will be a $2 billion decrease in Medicaid funding for children by 2026.

In an effort to address concerns with the adult-focused Obamacare, the House of Representatives passed a bill potentially harming children. It is the same bill the Senate is now considering.

While Sen. Cassidy may misunderstand some parts of children's health coverage, he has recognized the concerns Jimmy Kimmel has raised. Sen. Cassidy's colleagues should have the same desire to understand all of the issues affecting children's health care.

We send best wishes to the Kimmel family. We hope our legislative leaders will recognize that every child deserves access to quality medical care. Thanks to Jimmy Kimmel for letting everyone know how important that access can be.

Note: This piece first appeared on U.S. News & World Report