SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The United States has reached a milestone when it comes to making sure that all children have health insurance, according to a new report by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families.

It shows 95 percent of the nation's children are covered and Illinois is one of the top states.

Andrea Kovach, an attorney with the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, says the state has taken advantage of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, along with the navigator and enrollment assistance dollars, and that's helped families sign up for health insurance.

"They've been able to enroll at churches and libraries and community centers,” she points out. “There's been more enrollment fairs.

“Every year that Illinois has taken advantage of those opportunities, it means another drop in the uninsured rate for children. "

Between 2013 and 2015 the number of uninsured children in Illinois dropped from 125,000 to 75,000.

Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, says the milestone can be attributed to health care reform.

"There's just been so much activity in this area with new coverage options thanks to the Affordable Care Act that for kids it's really allowed them to build on the success we already had from Medicaid and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program)," she states

Kovach says Illinois has shown a commitment to its children but there's still more work to be done.

"We need to continue to make sure that there's in-person enrollment assistance in the languages that families in these communities speak,” she states. “And we need to just continue protecting and supporting this long standing and bipartisan commitment that we have to make sure families are covered in Illinois. "

Illinois has one of the lowest uninsured rates for children, at 2.5 percent. The national average is nearly 5 percent.





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Online extortion cases involving children have been rapidly increasing in Kentucky and nationwide, and legislation signed into law by Gov. Andy Beshear aims to protect kids from digital abuse. Perpetrators use social media platforms, gaming sites and messaging apps to target youths, posing as peers to coerce victims into sharing explicit photos.

Lorin Payne, Louisville Metro Police Department detective, said many parents are unaware of how easy it is for predators to access children online and the techniques they use to groom children.

"Give a child a phone they have access to, the world essentially, everything online, but now the world has access to your child," she explained.

Payne added that she is receiving around six calls a week from parents or caregivers reporting extortion cases. From October 2021 to March 2023, the FBI says it received more than 13,000 reports of online financial sextortion of minors, primarily boys, that led to at least twenty suicides. Cases of digital child abuse or sextortion can be reported to Kentucky's Child Protection Hotline at 1-877-KY-SAFE1 or through the state's online reporting system at 'reportitky.org.'

Shannon Moody, chief officer of policy and strategy with Kentucky Youth Advocates and the Kosair For Kids Face It Movement, said the bipartisan Senate Bill 73 requires sixth graders receive age-appropriate educational materials on red flags and what to do if sextortion happens to them or a peer.

"It strengthens the current law around making sexual extortion a crime in and of itself, whether it's a misdemeanor or felony, depending on the severity. It also empowers victims by giving some clear legal remedies to seek justice and recover damages," she said.

The Family Nurturing Center in Florence serves 10,000 Kentucky children and families each year.

Jane Herms, president and CEO, said 30% of its teen counseling cases involve sextortion. She says increasing awareness on the issue and emphasizing the importance of having conservations about sextortion with kids is critical to prevention.

"Digital abuse is still child abuse, and it really is emotional terrorism, and it leaves very deep psychological scars. It is trauma for children, and you see the impact," she stressed.

Research shows nearly forty percent of teens and around 23% of nine- to 12-year-olds believe sharing nude images with adults they meet online is common. Kosair has developed resources for kids' Cyber Safety at 'faceitabuse.org/cybersafety.'

Groups working to fight hunger in Iowa say proposed cuts to SNAP benefits would fall squarely on the state's kids, who rely on them for food and other needs.

State lawmakers are considering a measure that would limit what items SNAP recipients could buy.

House File 970 would limit SNAP money to buying so-called "healthy" foods - grains, dairy, meat, eggs, fruits and vegetables, or other items considered necessary for good health.

Food Bank of Iowa's Senior Manager of Food Acquisition and Advocacy Emily Shearer said the change could have a dramatic effect on the one in six Iowa kids who face hunger.

"If there are cuts to SNAP, children will be impacted, seniors will be impacted, those with disabilities will be impacted," said Shearer. "So, the majority of people on SNAP that are able to work are working - it's just not enough to make ends meet."

Backers of the bill say they're guarding against abuse of the program.

If it is approved, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services would have to request a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to override the current list of foods and beverages SNAP recipients can currently buy.

A 2016 USDA study found there are very few differences in the buying habits of families using SNAP and those who don't.

Shearer said it's been hard to counter the false claims that low-income Iowans have less healthy eating and buying habits, or that they use their SNAP benefits to buy unhealthy items.

"Nobody's buying tobacco and alcohol with their SNAP benefits. They're just not," Shearer insisted. "But with SNAP restrictions the way they're written currently, they're so vague - there's discussion that something like pasta sauce, or soup or jelly, are those going to be restricted? I don't think anyone would define those as 'junk food.'"

The USDA reports about 130,000 Iowans received SNAP benefits in 2024.

Each legislative session, Oregon's Joint Ways & Means Committee holds a statewide roadshow to hear from residents about their priorities. At the Salem stop April 16, supporters of the Food for All Oregonians bill are urging people to speak up. A coalition of over 180 organizations says bipartisan momentum is growing behind the bill, which would extend food benefits to all of the state's kids, regardless of their immigration status.

Ali King, a member of the Our Children Oregon coalition, said policy experts, parents, and other supporters of the bill have a clear message.

"We've all seen firsthand how our worsening hunger crisis impacts our children and state and it's unacceptable that one in six Oregon children don't have enough to eat," she declared.

King says Food for All Oregonians is one of the top priorities for her organization's 'Children's Agenda,' a package of legislation dedicated to improving the well-being of Oregon's children, youth, and families. The bill is currently in the Ways and Means committee.

A previous version of Food for All Oregonians would have extended food benefits to older adults as well as children. Opponents take issue with providing food benefits to people who are undocumented. King says, though the bill is linked to immigration status, it is not only about immigration.

"We can't allow Oregon's innocent children to become the collateral damage of partisan politics. It's really important that regardless of your views on immigration, we recognize that no one deserves to go hungry," she continued.

Food for All Oregonians would establish a new program in the Department of Human Services to provide food benefits to children up to 6 years old who would otherwise qualify for SNAP but for their immigration status. The estimated cost for this biennium is about $7.5 million. Coalition members say they will continue to work until all Oregonians have access to the food benefits they need.


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