by Serwan Zangana
The argument is whether the U.S can afford free healthcare that is Medicaid for all American children or it is unaffordable and costs the nation a fortune. The matter of children’s healthcare is one of the major problems and mostly affects the lower middle class and poor in America. In this modern era of America, free healthcare for children should be considered a civil and human right that American children can have easy access to.
The U.S’s ability to provide free healthcare for American children is beyond our imagination and perhaps some Americans do not see a clear picture of the economical ability of America in providing healthcare for children and prioritizing their needs. Obviously, the lower middle class and the poor in America are paying the price for every economic hardship, and hence, children are becoming the victims of such a crisis.
However, while the new budget bill “ One Big Beautiful Bill Act” which was introduced and passed by House Republicans superficially appears to save millions of dollars for Americans, the deeper look into this bill reveals that millions of people, including children would negatively be affected. According to Congressional Budget Office, in 2034, the reduction of the number of people with health insurance estimated by 8.6 million.
Children’s healthcare is one of the most critical matters in the U.S, which puts a major burden on the families because of the high cost of health insurance, medicines, and other medical needs. According to National Center for Youth Law, the consequence of this budget bill, 1 in 5 children enrolled in Medicaid will be at risk to lose it, and hence, increases maternal mortality rate and increases racial health disparities.
The Republican lawmakers should not sacrifice Medicaid in order to save money and reduce spending. Evidently, in every circumstance, Medicaid becomes a target by the majority lawmakers, which is to a higher degree affect the minorities with mostly average and law income Americans. The disparity in healthcare has created health problems among the minorities especially Blacks and Hispanics.
According to Department of Pediatrics, UCSF, children of different races and ethnicities do not receive the same healthcare as White children. In a study that included 4,000 hospitals, the Agency of Healthcare and Quality found that disparities exist in pediatric safety as Black and Hispanic children are facing a higher risk which is 5 out of 7 for Black and 3 for Hispanic whose harms were evaluated.
Medicaid is the backbone for a large number of families, parents, and guardians as they rely on such a program for their children’s healthcare. The government should realize that Medicaid is not a luxury program to simply be cut from millions of Americans without a major impact on society. The Republican bill that slashes Medicaid will carry a long term impact on American society, and perhaps, the midterm election result will not be in their favor.
According Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the health plan which is included in the bill will shift $370 million to the states. That means the states’ budget will carry the burden of the fund that will be cut from the federal government, and therefore, this would jeopardize millions of people from losing their coverage for the reason that the states would not be able to afford such a cost without the federal fund.
However, the Medicaid program, specifically for children, should be untouchable, and the lawmakers must understand that targeting Medicaid is in fact targeting American children.
