Posted by Tara Manthey on June 8th 2009
Reform proposals that build on successful Medicaid and ARKids First Programs will ensure Arkansas children can access quality healthcare, advocates say.
LITTLE ROCK – Child advocates are concerned about the lack of discussion of children’s needs in the national health reform movement, analysts at Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families said today.
AACF released several recommendations for health reform that would ensure low-income children aren’t left behind and urged national leaders not to pass the cost of reform on to children.
Elisabeth Wright Burak, AACF’s health policy director, said it’s important for Arkansans to remind leaders that vulnerable children and families must be a priority in reform discussions.
“Children aren’t little adults,” Burak said. “They need specific services, like well-child visits and immunizations. Protecting vulnerable families also means every Arkansan should have affordable and high quality health care—even during job changes.”
Medicaid and ARKids First are proven programs that provide low-income children and families with high-quality services, Burak said. They should be the foundation that health reform is built on. Other recommendations include ensuring coverage is affordable and equitable.
AACF also warned that the cost of health reform should not be passed on to children. Health reform promises to save Americans money in the long-term, said Candice Smith, AACF’s federal budget and tax policy director, but it will also require a significant upfront investment.
“Funding proposals should offer realistic ways to offset new costs,” Smith said, “as well as to improve the overall health system by slowing the growth of health care costs, reducing unnecessary procedures, and improving the health of all Americans.”
AACF belongs to a network of local and national policy and advocacy organizations called the Children’s Leadership Council. The coalition recently sent a letter to Congressional members to highlight concerns child advocates have about health care reform, and to point out specific areas that will need to be considered as the shape of health care reform is molded.