PHOENIX -- Defensores de la salud en Arizona y en todo el país están presionando al Senado de los EE. UU. para que apruebe la Ley Reconstruir Mejor.

La legislación mejoraría el Medicaid y el Programa de Seguro Médico para Niños (CHIP por sus siglas en Inglés), llamado KidsCare en el estado de Arizona. El proyecto de ley ya fue aprobado en la Cámara. Así mismo, ofrecería 12 meses de cobertura continua a los niños que califiquen para Medicaid.

Un nuevo informe coescrito por Joan Alker del Centro para Niños y Familias de la Universidad de Georgetown, encuentra que durante los primeros años de Trump, uno de cada diez niños experimentó una brecha en la cobertura en el transcurso de 12 meses.

"Después que vimos este preocupante revés en el progreso que habíamos logrado como país en la reducción del número de niños sin seguro, que se detuvo en 2017 y comenzó a ir en la dirección equivocada; el proyecto de ley Reconstruir Mejor realmente revertiría eso y comenzaría a mover el país en la dirección correcta", comentó Alker.

Según Alianza Acción de Niños, los menores y las familias de cuatro personas que ganan $53,000 al año o menos son elegibles para una cobertura médica asequible a través de CHIP. Quienes se oponen a la Ley Reconstruir Mejor dicen que el programa de $2 billones es demasiado costoso.

Alker dice que las familias en estados como Arizona, a menudo enfrentan obstáculos importantes para registrar a sus hijos y mantenerlos en el programa KidsCare.

"Estas brechas en la cobertura fueron más comunes entre los niños latinos y negros, y el 50% de los niños que tenían una brecha en la cobertura no vieron a un médico durante todo el año que estudiamos", agregó la también directora del Centro para Niños y Familias de la Universidad de Georgetown.

Alker dice que Reconstruir Mejor financiaría permanentemente el Programa de Seguro Médico para Niños o CHIP, por lo que no es necesario renovarlo cada pocos años. También facilita que Arizona y otros estados amplíen la elegibilidad para KidsCare.

"Esto brindará una oportunidad de estabilidad para el programa CHIP, y permitirá que los estados intenten llegar a la meta y que todos los niños estén cubiertos."

Los defensores dicen que Arizona, donde en 2019 más del 9% de los niños elegibles no estaban registrados para CHIP, se beneficiaría enormemente de los cambios planeados bajo el proyecto de Ley Reconstruir Mejor.

During the COVID health emergency, Congress removed a lot of red tape in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) school meals programs, and a new report suggested the program's success should be continued into the next school year.

Crystal FitzSimons, director of school and out-of-school-time programs for Food Research and Action Center, said waivers increased the number of fruits and vegetables kids consumed, eliminated school meal debt, made it easier for parents and guardians, and lowered administrative burdens for schools.

"Omaha Public Schools reported that being able to offer meals to all students at no charge reduced childhood hunger, supported academic achievement, eliminated stigma associated with school meals, and improved student behavior," FitzSimons outlined.

Nearly six out of 10 of the nation's large school districts surveyed said waivers helped improve racial equity, and 95% said it reduced child hunger. Waivers are set to expire June 30. Critics of free meals for all students have warned the program could lead to government dependency.

FitzSimons countered just like adults, kids need fuel to focus, concentrate and learn. She pointed to years of research showing children who have access to healthy meals do better in school, which makes it easier for them to land jobs as adults that pay enough to not require government assistance.

"We have public schools that provide textbooks and transportation to get kids to school," FitzSimons pointed out. "Making sure that kids who are in school for seven hours a day have that nutrition that they need is critical to ensuring their success as adults."

Omaha Public Schools reported significant operational challenges during the 2021-2022 school year. FitzSimons noted supply-chain disruptions, labor shortages and rising food costs are not likely to be fully resolved by the time schools reopen in August. She added extending USDA waivers will also help children catch up and get back on track.

"And making sure they are able to access a free school meal next school year is going to be really critical to help supporting overcoming the impact of the pandemic that we've seen on kids, on families, and also on schools," FitzSimons contended.

A new survey finds 8 in 10 Kentucky parents say afterschool programs could help their child combat social and mental-health struggles by reducing unproductive screen time.

Experts say demand for these types of programs has increased in the Commonwealth.

Executive Director of the Afterschool Alliance Jodi Grant said after-school programs often are understaffed partnerships between schools and community-based organizations. She said local districts currently can't keep up with demand.

"In Kentucky," said Grant, "for every child that's in a program, the parents of four more want their kids to be in a program - and these parents and these kids are choosing to be there."

She also pointed out that Black and Latino children are among those most likely to lack access.

According to the survey, more than 60% of parents of color, and those with low incomes, said they want after-school programs that help their child build life skills and reduce risky behaviors.

Director of the Kentucky Out-of-School Alliance Tom Haggard said he believes state leaders haven't prioritized after-school programming.

"We really haven't put in the state dollars toward after-school or summer learning at a really impactful level," said Haggard. "Many of the other states have made investments in after-school, and that just isn't something that we've been able to do yet in Kentucky."

Grant pointed to federal COVID dollars as a resource to help support and expand after-school and summer learning programs for kids.

"We absolutely need to be doing more to tap into more dollars for the families that can't afford these programs," said Grant, "because they are creating opportunities for the kids for the working parents and for our long-term economy."

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, around a dozen states nationwide currently are providing funding dedicated to after-school programs.

Groups fighting for children's rights say they are disappointed Gov. Gavin Newsom's May budget revision did not include more money for the Hearing Aid Coverage for Children Program. Newsom proposed about $16 million, but advocates want lawmakers to bump it up another $5 million in the final budget.

Mike Odeh, senior director of health for the nonprofit Children Now, said hearing loss in babies and toddlers causes serious delays in speech and learning.

"It's a developmental issue, and it's not appropriate for kids to be sent to school without the appropriate supports like hearing aids," Odeh contended.

At a legislative hearing in 2019, experts testified only 1 in 10 children in California has hearing-aid coverage through a private health plan, and every month of delay in starting hearing aids correlates with decreased long-term language potential.

The state Department of Health Care Services estimates 7,000 low-income children in California need hearing aids, but only about 68 children are actually enrolled.

Odeh pointed out it is because the program only covers people who have no other insurance options.

"Some kids are getting rejected because they don't meet the income criteria," Odeh noted. "And so they would likely be eligible for MediCal, some are getting rejected because they have partial coverage that maybe provides a $500 benefit of coverage for hearing aids. But hearing aids are about $6,000 for kids and need to be replaced every three years."

Advocates argued with more money, the program could be expanded to help families who struggle with high copays and deductibles.