Contact:
Ed Walz
202-657-0685 (office)

Washington – A research brief released today by the nonpartisan Urban Institute shows that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will increase the federal government’s investment in children’s health and help both children and parents get needed health care. The paper, Federal Health Expenditures on Children on the Eve of Health Reform: A Benchmark for the Future, was commissioned by First Focus and authored by Urban researchers Heather Hahn, Genevieve M. Kenney, Christine Coyer, and Katherine Toran.

Key findings include:

  • The ACA will increase federal investments in children’s health and cover more uninsured children; and
  • Investments in health have historically increased as a share of total federal investments in children;

“This research confirms that the Affordable Care Act will increase our national investment in the health of America’s children, if federal leaders protect Medicaid and CHIP” said First Focus President Bruce Lesley.

First Focus released a companion paper, making timely and specific policy recommendations to ensure that the ACA delivers the maximum value for children:

  • Reject arbitrary cuts to Medicaid, including block grants, global spending caps, or health spending caps, which shift costs to states and families;
  • Assure CHIP funding beyond 2015, protecting an essential source of coverage for millions of children;
  • Make seamless enrollment and outreach a priority, to increase coverage for the remaining 4-5 million Medicaid-CHIP eligible children who are uninsured;
  • Fix the “Family Glitch,” to ensure that parents can afford to cover their children under insurance offered through “exchange” marketplaces; and
  • Ensure child-only coverage is affordable and provides meaningful benefits designed to meet kids’ health and developmental needs

“Our leaders in Congress need to understand that the decisions they’ll make over the coming weeks and months will decide whether millions of children will be able to get the health care they need to grow and thrive,” said Lesley.

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First Focus is a bipartisan advocacy organization dedicated to making children and families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more inormation, visit www.firstfocus.net.