HARRISBURG, Pa. – Children's advocates say repeal of the Affordable Care Act would leave thousands of Pennsylvania kids without health insurance. President Trump and congressional Republicans already are taking steps to repeal the landmark health-care law.
According to Joan Benso, president and CEO of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, that would reverse the gains the state has made toward getting all children insured.
"Some kids could lose coverage because they had pre-existing conditions," she said. "Other children could lose coverage because they are over the age limit of when you could stay on your parents' health insurance prior to ACA."
Almost 90,000 young adults who have "aged-out" of their parents' health insurance or extended Medicaid for foster children would become uninsured.
Benso pointed out that when parents get health insurance, so do their children – and prior to the ACA, there were more than 130,000 uninsured parents in Pennsylvania.
"The expansion of Medicaid in our state helped more of those families come into coverage, and we watched the number of children who were uninsured decrease," she explained.
She said the Medicaid expansion helped reduce the uninsured rate for children in Pennsylvania to 4.1 percent, an all-time low.
While federal legislators have said the Affordable Care Act will be replaced by "something better," just what that replacement would be has not been made clear. Benso says the conversation needs to slow down until those details are on the table.
"We can examine them and say, 'What are the pros and cons of the alternative?'” she added.
Right now, she said, the federal government picks up about 90 percent of the cost of the Medicaid expansion and CHIP, the Children's Health Insurance Program, in Pennsylvania, money the state cannot afford to replace.
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Today is National Brush Day and experts across Kentucky are reminding residents to brush their teeth twice a day, floss, avoid smoking, and especially for pregnant women and children, make an appointment for a cleaning and checkup with a dentist.
Julie Smith, registered dental hygienist and director of dental services for Cumberland Family Medical Center, which provides preventive and restorative oral health for more than a dozen school districts in the region, said without the program, most children would go the entire school year without seeing a dentist.
"It is not uncommon for us to see students who tell us they've never had a toothbrush or they've never had a toothbrush of their own because their entire family shares a toothbrush," Smith explained. "It's not uncommon to meet a child who says, 'When I am at one parent's house I have a toothbrush, but I don't have a toothbrush at the other parent's house.'"
The Kentucky Oral Health Coalition has launched a new series of free oral health materials for communities, dental offices, schools, libraries and other locations.
Dr. Jill Keaton, professor and dean of the Tanner College of Dental Medicine at the University of Pikeville and a member of the Kentucky Oral Health Coalition, said the new resources include information on dental insurance, and oral health tips for pregnancy, children, older adults, and people with substance use disorders.
"I love the fact that these resources are free and something that dentists or dental hygienists, dental assistants can print on their own and then distribute to patients or even other stakeholders," Keaton emphasized.
Smith advised as children have bags full of Halloween candy, it's important not to let them keep it in their rooms or have constant access to sugar, which causes tooth decay.
"Instead, keep it somewhere that maybe they get a couple of treats at meal time after their meal when it's going to do a lot less damage," Smith recommended. "Make the candy last."
According to a 2023 report by the University of Kentucky's Center for Excellence in Rural Health, the Commonwealth ranks ninth among states for oral cancer rates, and fifth in the percentage of adults with tooth extractions.
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Pennsylvania is facing what children's advocacy groups call a historic child care crisis, leaving thousands of young children without access to early learning programs.
A new report estimates Pennsylvania loses $6.65 billion annually when families do not have child care and preschool options.
Kari King, president and CEO of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, said the report examines the policies on child care and pre-K, and highlights workforce challenges affecting many families with young children.
"Both in terms of parents and families in the workforce, and the need for child care to be able for parents to work," King outlined. "We know in the report, just over 70% of families with children currently have both parents or caregivers in the workforce."
In his latest budget proposal, Gov. Josh Shapiro addresses some of the workforce challenges with a $17.7 million boost to early childhood education. $15 million is proposed for Pre-K Counts and $2.7 million for Head Start Supplemental Assistance, investments he said are crucial for working parents' economic stability.
King pointed out Pennsylvania child care workers earn just over $15 an hour, or less than many retail jobs, and half of pre-K programs are delivered through child care centers. But some centers struggle to attract and keep qualified staff.
King observed the wage gap leaves some centers with not enough revenue to pay competitive salaries and keep care affordable.
"That's where we've seen there's been quite an impact since the pandemic, with quite a few programs that have actually closed their doors," King noted. "Over 600 child care providers have been lost since right before the pandemic. So, I think you're seeing a lot of those businesses again in that untenable situation."
The report pointed out pre-K teachers in Pennsylvania earn annual salaries about half those of kindergarten teachers. One recommendation is to provide pay for pre-K teachers on a par with elementary school educators.
Disclosure: Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children/Kids Count contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, Early Childhood Education, Education, and Health Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
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Advocates for children in New Hampshire said the state needs elected officials who will put kids' futures first.
With biennial budget negotiations to begin next year, they said access to quality early education, school meals and services are all on the line this election.
Megan Brabec, New Hampshire state manager for the Save the Children Action Network, said children cannot vote but they are on the ballot.
"It's really important that we have Senators and representatives that are aware of these issues," Brabec stressed. "That are prioritizing these issues and recognize the role for government in addressing these issues."
Brabec pointed out with child care for two children younger than five now topping $30,000 a year, too many children are forced to go without the early education known to improve their long-term outcomes.
A bipartisan mix of candidates is offering solutions, including the establishment of universal Pre-K to ensure all kids start kindergarten on the same footing. Others want to simplify eligibility for free or reduced-price meals using Medicaid data or create a state fund to finance early educator recruitment and retention.
Ella Bender, a child advocate and student at the University of New Hampshire, has been registering voters and encouraging them to think of future generations.
"We want students to know that the power is in their hands to vote for officials in the state of New Hampshire that are going to put children's needs first," Bender emphasized.
Bender argued every child in New Hampshire deserves a quality education and to have their basic needs met.
A recent Save the Children Action Network survey found a majority of likely voters across the United States feel more favorable about a political candidate who supports greater investments in child care or programs to relieve food insecurity.
Disclosure: Save the Children contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, Early Childhood Education, Education, and Poverty Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
click here.
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