Right now, Congress is weighing decisions that could strip hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid – a steadfast but powerful program that protects the health and futures of millions of children in America.
Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are more than a line item on a budget. They are a lifeline for nearly 37 million children nationwide. It is the difference between hope and hardship for families across the country.
Since its bipartisan creation in 1965, Medicaid has ensured no child is denied care. When a child faces a medically complex diagnosis that requires specialized and ongoing care, Medicaid steps in to support families regardless of background, income level or political beliefs. Even for families with private insurance, Medicaid is necessary for accessing many wrap-around services that private insurance won’t cover.
Children’s hospitals see firsthand the difference Medicaid makes in health outcomes. From the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to adolescence, this program offers care when it’s needed most and helps families manage everything from routine checkups to serious conditions like cancer, diabetes, and rare disorders. The current proposals before Congress put that promise of care at risk. Some changes are being framed as technical or targeted only at adults. But make no mistake — these changes would hit children and families, and those that care for them, hard.
Medicaid and CHIP are more than a line item on a budget. They are a lifeline for nearly 37 million children nationwide.
Freezing mechanisms that states use to fund their Medicaid programs will widen existing gaps in care, severely limiting states' ability to adapt in crises, and push families into impossible situations. These aren’t abstract consequences. If these cuts go through, the outcome is clear: fewer doctors and nurses, longer wait times, and sicker kids.
Beyond these direct cuts, the proposal would reduce retroactive eligibility for kids. Each new hurdle makes it harder to improve the health of our nation’s children: the newborn in the NICU whose family must learn to navigate a complex health system while facing the unimaginable; the child with leukemia waiting on approval for a life-saving treatment; the teen with depression stuck on a waiting list far too long. These aren’t hypotheticals. They are the stakes of this debate.
Children don’t have a vote. Too often, their needs are treated as an afterthought. As their advocates, parents, providers, and neighbors, we have a responsibility to speak up on their behalf.
We’re already seeing the strain. In rural areas of Colorado and beyond, families must travel hours to find a pediatric specialist. Hospitals have been forced to scale back or eliminate children’s services altogether due to inadequate reimbursement. When care disappears, it doesn’t just affect children on Medicaid — it affects every child in our communities.
If these cuts go through, the outcome is clear: fewer doctors and nurses, longer wait times, and sicker kids.
We know that Medicaid isn’t perfect, but the proposals being considered are the equivalent of amputating an arm to treat a broken finger. Over the years, Medicaid’s scope has expanded beyond its original intent, raising fair questions about how to manage the program. But the proposed cuts would take resources from already stretched state budgets without reinvesting in solutions. It risks doing lasting harm to the very people we should be protecting most.
There’s a better path forward — one where we invest in prevention, simplify enrollment, reduce red tape, pursue efficiencies to reduce costs, and ensure high-quality care is available to every child, regardless of their ZIP code or insurance status. We can make Medicaid smarter and stronger — and in doing so, we can give every child a fair shot at a healthy start in life. This proposal isn't it.
America’s strength has always come from investing in the next generation. America doesn’t turn its back on its kids; it lifts them up. Congress should rise to meet this moment — across party and state lines — to protect and improve Medicaid for the children who rely on it.
Tell Congress: Protect Medicaid. Don’t let children become collateral damage in a budget debate. Protect their care to protect their future.
