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Supporting Medicaid, CHIP through political advocacy
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CHICAGO — Pediatricians are in a unique position to advocate for the upkeep of government-supported health care programs, including Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, in an increasingly turbulent political climate, according to a recent presentation at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2017 National Conference & Exhibition.
“One thing that I want pediatricians to understand is that we are teachers,” Lynda Young, MD, FAAP, chair of the AAP Committee on Federal Government Affairs, said in her presentation. “We teach our patients, our parents and ourselves, but we also teach people who make big decisions that affect you and your patients.”
The rates of uninsured children have declined greatly since 1997, with a fall from 14% to 5% in 2016. Although those involved with the AAP and other health care organizations have advocated for maintaining the Affordable Care Act and opposed drastic cuts to Medicaid over the past 9 months, Young claims that several areas need attention immediately: extending funding for CHIP, Medicaid waivers and expansion and “looming threats to Medicaid.”
“President Trump and the Republicans in Congress have failed to deliver on a huge promise during the campaign: the repeal of the ACA,” she said. “We have learned several lessons this summer in our fight and our advocacy to stop these bills from passing, which are going to help us as we move forward this fall.”
Young also notes that public coverage for children is remarkable, with 36.8 million children receiving Medicaid, 4.7 million insured through Medicaid expansion CHIP, 3.7 million receiving separate CHIP, and 1.1 million insured through Marketplace plans. Currently, CHIP is in danger of losing federal support with funding scheduled to end on September 30. A bill has yet to be created which will reinstate this funding.
“There is a silver lining in that the voters are realizing what this repeal means and are speaking up about how important Medicaid [and public coverage] is to them and their population,” Young said. “It is very helpful to us that we are now getting a lot of momentum from them.”
Young suggests that pediatricians provide consistent, long-term advocacy for these programs and that they should begin looking for ways to speak up on a local level to start. Additionally, pediatricians should consider patient anecdotes that may be useful in supporting claims made to politicians.
“Don’t assume that politicians are up on [how Medicaid and CHIP] affect people,” she said. “It is important to let them know what you see as a pediatrician and what these repeals will do to the children you treat. Everyone has stories, and they should be brought out because they are really powerful.” — by Katherine Bortz
Reference:
Young L. “Children’s Health: What’s At Stake in the New Administration”. Presented at: The 2017 AAP National Conference & Exhibition; Sept. 16-19; Chicago.
Disclosure: Young reports no relevant financial disclosures.