Washington, D.C. \u2014 Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, alongside U.S. Representatives Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) and Derek Tran (D-Calif.), introduced the bicameral Keep Kids Covered Act to provide continuous health care coverage for kids in Medicaid and CHIP, as Republicans slash funding to these programs. The legislation would provide uninterrupted coverage to kids until the age of six, and for 24 months for kids between the ages of 6 and 19; current law provides 12 months of continued coverage up to age 19.<\/p>\n
Guaranteed, consistent coverage during a child\u2019s critical stage of development is especially important now, as the Republican \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill\u201d will cut $1 trillion from Medicaid and CHIP, increase barriers to coverage\u2014including new work requirements\u2014and add unnecessary red tape that will lead to people improperly losing their health care.<\/p>\n
\u201cRepublicans\u2019 budget bill puts millions of children at risk of losing their health care,\u201d said Bennet. \u201cIt is critical that children eligible for Medicaid and CHIP keep their coverage as Republicans\u2019 cruel cuts to these programs go into effect. This legislation safeguards against lapses in health insurance coverage for kids during the most important stages of their development.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Florida and across the country, children pay the price when politicians rip health coverage away and create bureaucratic barriers to care,\u201d said Castor. \u201cThe Keep Kids Covered Act will ensure eligible kids across the country can access reliable, stable Medicaid and CHIP coverage so they can live happy, healthy lives. Research has shown that children with health coverage do better in school and grow into more successful adults, lowering costs for everyone. While Congressional Republicans and President Trump have spent the past few months making it more difficult and expensive for kids to access critical health coverage, Democrats are fighting to protect our kids and their future. I\u2019m grateful to my colleagues Rep. Derek Tran and Senator Michael Bennet, as well as the child and family advocates, for their partnership and support of this critical legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a father of young kids, I know how critical adequate health care is for our children to grow and thrive. No child should be denied access to medical treatment because President Trump and Congressional Republicans wanted to give their billionaire friends a tax break,\u201d said Tran. \u201cI\u2019m proud to join Rep. Castor in introducing the Keep Kids Covered Act to bring down costs for hard-working families and ensure high-quality access to health care so all of our kids can stay healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Colorado, the Republican Budget Bill will cut an estimated $14 billion in federal funding for Medicaid, with rural communities estimated to lose $1.9 billion. Approximately 1.2 million adults and nearly half a million children in Colorado are on Medicaid, and hundreds of thousands of them could lose coverage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Colorado and other states are trying to implement continuous coverage policies in their Medicaid programs, but President Trump is standing in their way. Colorado currently has a Medicaid waiver allowing the state to provide continuous enrollment for kids up to age 3. That policy was scheduled to go into effect in January 2026, but earlier this month, the Administration announced that it would not renew waivers that provide continuous coverage for anything longer than the 12-months currently required under law. Colorado\u2019s current waiver expires at the end of this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cColorado hospitals strongly support efforts to ensure children have uninterrupted access to health coverage, which is essential to their lifelong health and well-being. At a time when coverage disruptions and policy threats put families at risk, Senator Bennet\u2019s leadership is critical to protecting the care Colorado kids need to grow and thrive. We\u2019re grateful for his ongoing commitment to advancing policies that safeguard children, support families, and build healthier communities across our state,\u201d said Jeff Tieman, President and CEO, Colorado Hospital Association.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep Kids Covered is a smart policy. It will help kids get medical care when they need it. It will help their families stay afloat financially. And it will help our government run more efficiently and use its resources wisely,\u201d said Heather Tritten, President and CEO, Colorado Children\u2019s Campaign. \u201cWhen babies, toddlers, and young children are continuously enrolled in health coverage, it\u2019s good for their health and for everyone\u2019s costs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHealth insurance is extremely expensive and is expected to get significantly more expensive next year because of the spending bill Congress passed this summer,\u201d continued Tritten. \u201cThe earliest years of a child\u2019s life are often the years when a family\u2019s economic stability is most tenuous \u2013 and when kids are expected to visit the doctor regularly to support their health and development. Keep Kids Covered is a step in the right direction for maintaining children\u2019s health coverage and for helping them stay healthy and ready to learn, grow, and thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bennet is a leading advocate for increasing access to affordable health care for working families and their children. This year, he reintroduced<\/a> the Accelerating Kids\u2019 Access to Care Act to simplify out-of-state Medicaid screening and enrollment processes for pediatric care providers while retaining key safeguards. In 2024, Bennet reintroduced<\/a> his Medicare-X Choice Act to create a public option by expanding on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicare. In 2023, Bennet urged<\/a> the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator to maintain efforts to reduce the number of uninsured children affected by unwinding Medicaid policies. Later that year, he introduced<\/a> legislation to expand access to mental and behavioral health care for children, seniors, and low-income Americans on Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, and Medicaid.<\/p>\n This legislation is supported by Colorado Children\u2019s Campaign, Children\u2019s Hospital Colorado, Denver Health, Colorado Hospital Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Nurses Association, American Psychiatric Association, Association for Community Affiliated Plans, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, BayCare Health System\u2014St. Joseph\u2019s Children\u2019s Hospital, Child Welfare League of America, Children\u2019s Defense Fund, Children\u2019s Hospitals Association, Families USA, First Focus Campaign for Children, Florida Health Justice Project, Florida Policy Institute, Florida Voices for Health, March of Dimes, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, National Foster Youth Institute, National League for Nursing, Nemours Children\u2019s Health, Primary Care Development Corporation, Protect Our Care, The Center for Law and Social Policy, UnidosUS, and ZERO TO THREE.<\/p>\n The text of the bill is available HERE<\/a>. Background is available HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Washington, D.C. \u2014 Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, alongside U.S. Representatives Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) and Derek Tran (D-Calif.),…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10607,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[97,252,253],"class_list":["post-45448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health-care","tag-health","tag-health-care","tag-healthcare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45448"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45448\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}