I’ve spent my professional career working in children’s hospitals. I’ve witnessed doctors, nurses, child-life specialists and other highly trained staff provide lifesaving and compassionate care for children day after day. I’ve seen firsthand how pediatric providers change children’s and families’ worlds for the better, and how Medicaid often makes those stories possible.
Medicaid provides coverage for 37 million children in the U.S. — nearly half of all American kids — to get the care they need. In most states, children make up close to half of Medicaid enrollees.
In 2022, when I was president and CEO, 71% of patients who visited UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland were covered by Medicaid. At Riley Children’s Hospital, where I served as president, 60% of children received care through Medicaid. The program was designed with children in mind, and it is an essential resource for children’s hospitals to deliver care to every child who needs it, especially children with complex medical conditions and cancer.
Additionally, nearly 50% of children with special healthcare needs are covered by Medicaid, and more than 3 million children in military-connected families are enrolled in the program. Some 40% of children in rural areas and small towns are covered by Medicaid, and cuts to the program would disproportionately harm communities that already face barriers to care.
Cuts to Medicaid would jeopardize care for all children, not just those covered by the program. Without it, pediatric providers wouldn’t have the resources to give children the high-quality care they need.
Indeed, Medicaid ensures children can see a doctor when they’re sick, access lifesaving treatments for chronic conditions, and receive the specialized care they need to grow and thrive.
That’s why I’m calling on Congress to protect Medicaid as the budget reconciliation process continues to unfold. As part of discussions, Congress is considering proposals that would reduce federal investments in Medicaid and squeeze state programs.
Let’s be clear: per capita caps, reductions in Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) support, and any changes to provider taxes and state-directed payments would have a detrimental impact on children.
When Medicaid funding is reduced, children’s hospitals will have to make tough decisions to end services they can no longer financially sustain. Funding cuts of this magnitude will impact children who need those services to live healthy lives.
I am privileged to have spent my career supporting pediatric providers in making real change in kids’ lives. The stories of children who’ve received care at pediatric hospitals nationwide and then gone on to build lives or families of their own inspire me daily, and many of those children have Medicaid to thank for the opportunities.
I urge Congress to recognize their ability to guard the lives of the littlest Americans and to join us in protecting Medicaid for generations to come.
Matthew Cook is president and CEO of Children’s Hospital Association, representing over 200 children’s hospitals as the leading national advocates for children’s health.
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