Sen. Andy Kim (D-New Jersey) introduced legislation Tuesday proposing a new approach to improving health care coverage: expanding Medicaid to cover all children regardless of their household income. The proposal, which Kim calls MediKids, is unlikely to go anywhere soon, with Republicans in control of Congress and President Donald Trump in the White House. But it represents a potential way forward on a priority issue for Democrats if the party regains power in the future.
Democrats have a political advantage over Republicans on the issue: 42 percent of Americans agree with Democrats on health care and 29 percent agree with Republicans, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted last year. But Democratic lawmakers are divided on the best way to expand coverage, as some Democrats campaign on Medicare-for-all and others call for a more incremental approach.
Kim described his bill as a way to unite the different factions in his party, and he cast it as a moral imperative as the number of uninsured children rises. “We can’t just say we don’t support what the Trump administration did,” Kim said. “We do have to put forward our own solutions, our own vision to be able to energize and inspire the American people.”
Kim’s bill would enroll children automatically in MediKids at birth and cover them through age 26, with an option to opt out. It has not been scored by the Congressional Budget Office, and Kim said he did not know how much it would cost, though he argued investing in health care for children would ultimately save money.
Wdym they’re not included in the first place 😭 Comically evil country
I literally was thinking just yesterday that me being able to visit doctors when young might’ve been a privilege, while I never asked there is a solid chance that some Americans haven’t even seen a doctor let alone visited them
or, you know, we could just give everyone healthcare to decommodify it and massively reduce profit-seeking bloat
we could just give everyone healthcare
But then all important democrats are sad because their entire shtick is pinky swears of incremental progress.
Not enough anymore. We need to stop funding Israel’s genocide, and start funding universal healthcare for our own citizens. Israel already offers that to their people, there is no excuse for Americans to be left to die in the streets.
Kim’s bill would enroll children automatically in MediKids at birth and cover them through age 26, with an option to opt out.
Always half measures.
The whole thing is a half measure from the start
Half measures within half measures.
republicans will respond with a proposal to abolish restrictions on child labour so poor kids can get health insurance from their workplace
Our esteemed colleagues from across the aisle have made a request. In the noble spirit of bipartisanship and with the interest of comity for the discourse we will consider their request.
We have come up with a compromise. Children will be allowed to work, but they won’t be able to get insurance.
The dems should consider the GOP’s plan to lower the age at which people can join the military. “That way parents could provide their children with healthcare and serve in the mobile infantry 'cause the only good bug is a dead bug…” said Senator Bloodfeast.
I’m being told in my earpiece the senator profusely apologies to the chamber and to our great war fighting men and women and children. His staff was negligent in their utilization of AI.
I do have to wonder, how many kids would this actually affect? Once you factor out kids that get covered by their parents’ insurance, kids that already meet the income threshold, and kids covered by another federal program or a state-level program, how many are left? This feels like one of those proposals that sounds expansive at first glance but when you run the numbers, it’s no where near as vast as they make it out to be.
Also - he gave himself a “how we gonna pay for it” hedge.
It has not been scored by the Congressional Budget Office, and Kim said he did not know how much it would cost, though he argued investing in health care for children would ultimately save money.
Maybe he’ll establish a Medicare loan debt forgiveness program for child Pell Grant recipients who start a business that operates for three years in disadvantaged communities.
