I have had the honor and privilege to practice pediatrics for the past 34 years in Little Rock at a pediatric clinic, which is proud to see all patients--those with private insurance, Medicaid and those who are uninsured.
Over the years, I have seen, time and time again, how important it is for our kids to have access to affordable, comprehensive health-care coverage. Since 1965, our Arkansas Medicaid program has provided this for an ever-increasing number of children in our state. The United States House of Representatives has passed the American Health Care Act with unprecedented cuts to Medicaid and the Senate's recently unveiled legislation has similar, but deeper, cuts.
I am concerned that children are being left out of the current national discussion regarding health care.
Medicaid works, plain and simple. It is a federal-state partnership model which gives states flexibility in deciding how best to cover the needs of patients and, in regards to children, Medicaid benefits are designed with children's unique needs in mind to cover essential screenings and all the services that they need. Medicaid is a program that provides health insurance for 412,329 kids in Arkansas alone.
In my Little Rock practice, more than 50 percent of my newborns and over 40 percent of my entire practice are covered by Medicaid. In fact, two-thirds of all children in small towns and rural areas receive health-care coverage through Medicaid, which happens to be the highest percentage of any state in the country. Also, more than 66 percent of children with disabilities and special needs, such as diabetes, congenital heart disease, cerebral palsy and genetic disorders are covered by Medicaid. These children's lives literally depend on Medicaid.
Medicaid is primarily responsible for a dramatic increase in children with insurance coverage throughout the country. Today, more than 95 percent of children, both in Arkansas and the United States, have insurance coverage and access to medical care. This allows nearly all children to receive well-child visits, vaccines, early treatment for illnesses and chronic medical conditions, therapies and hospital care when needed, which is so important if kids are going to be ready and able to succeed in school and in life.
Unfortunately, not all children are able to grow up to be adults, but every adult was once a child. We as adults should strive to make sure that every child is given the opportunity to do and be their best as they grow up!
Capping Medicaid funding is not the way forward. Capping Medicaid means Arkansas would be responsible for any dollar amount over the fixed cap provided by the federal government to cover patients in our state.
Capping Medicaid does not account for unexpected public health crises like Zika, or economic recessions causing people to switch from employer-sponsored insurance to Medicaid, like we experienced in 2008-2009. Capping Medicaid would force states to make devastating cuts in order to stay afloat financially--scaling back the benefits our children need, cutting people from the program, or otherwise making it no longer meet the needs of the population it's intended to serve.
This is not the answer for Arkansas, and it is not the answer for our children.
Medicaid is an entitlement program, but it's also an empowerment program. Medicaid allows families to hold down jobs while caring for ill children. It allows pregnant women to access vital services to ensure they and their babies stay healthy, and it provides critical support for people with disabilities so they can live independently.
Senators Cotton and Boozman, I urge you, along with my fellow pediatricians and the children we treat, as well as their families, to protect Medicaid by opposing significant cuts and caps, and in so doing, protect Arkansas' children.
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Tony Johnson, MD, is a practicing pediatrician in Little Rock. He is a past president of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and currently represents the pediatricians from the states of Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Oklahoma on the Board of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Editorial on 06/26/2017