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California's Children's Health Services is grappling with a budget shortfall, putting the state at risk of under-investing in early childhood development for children ages 0-5, harming the most vulnerable children by failing to provide them with access to medical services.
Nearly 284,000 children in California have been dropped during the federally required Medi-Cal eligibility renewal process for Medicaid recipients, many due to administrative errors and not because the children no longer qualify, experts said. during a briefing session carried out by Ethnic Media Services.
Tasha Boerner of the California Assembly District 77 said California is facing a multi-billion dollar budget crisis and several programs are at risk of being cut, including programs for families and children.
According to the California Department of Health Care Services, 1.3 million people are disenrolling, and an alarming rate is due to simple administrative errors; the national average for this enrollment is 71 percent, a staggering number in itself, and an estimated 92 percent of Californians will not have access to necessary medications and other health services for years to come.
"Many times these families find out that they are unaware of their lack of coverage until they have a medical emergency and are seeking only the basic services needed; as a mother, it truly breaks my heart as these families still qualify for information about health coverage.”, he commented Boerner
The policy ensured that health care services are available, especially at a time when Lifeline programs are at risk of being cut and this includes health coverage for children: "I went straight to make sure we had these funds especially for you, we know these services are critical to ensuring the next generation is healthy and safe in California”.
In her opportunity, Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown Center for Children and Families, explained that we are living a critical moment with respect to Children's Health and their access to public health coverage, since every time there is a crisis of this type in the country, Medicaid resources are used.
"Congress said we're going to give you extra money because you can't cut coverage, you can't exclude anyone who wants to keep their Medicaid coverage, and that got us to a point where 90 million people were covered by the Medicaid program.", he stressed Joan Alker.
Federal government researchers estimated that three out of four children who would lose their Medicaid during this time would still be eligible, but when we see large numbers of children losing Medicaid it's a problem because they probably have no other source of coverage to turn to.
By 2023, there were 4 million uninsured children nationwide, so even if half of these children were left without coverage, it would be a national crisis.
The speakers detailed that one in four children who lose coverage in the United States are in Texas, followed by Florida with less than half a million children, Georgia and then California. In that sense, they pointed out that the state has done a better job, but, of course, it is a large state and most states are having problems.
Latino families have faced more challenges as bureaucratic barriers arise when trying to obtain and retain coverage, even when the child remains eligible.
"Millions of children are losing their Medicaid, we see a strong interest in making the world a better place. We would like our elected officials to go further. Our vision is that we do not want any baby to leave hospitals or birthing centers without coverage and we demand that states cover them.”, he concluded Alker.
Mayra E. Alvarez, president of The Children's Partnership, said that changing health insurance coverage is detrimental to the continuity of medical care.
"Consistent access to health care is necessary for everyone to be healthy and thrive – we saw this particularly during the pandemic – and it is especially important for young children who need regular, timely visits for developmental screenings and immunizations, especially during the first few years of life, when 90 percent of brain development occurs.", he emphasized Mayra E. Alvarez.
Families now have to renew their health coverage annually, and since the state of California began the process, more than one million Californians have lost their health coverage, including 284,000 children, disproportionately affecting African-American children.
More than half of California's 9 million children rely on Medicare for coverage, and three out of four of them are children of color.
Of the 284,000 children who have lost coverage, they often do so not because they no longer qualify, but because of administrative and procedural obstacles to enrollment.
"No child should be left without coverage and no family should have to worry about not having the security that comes with coverage and care for their child. Unfortunately, the policy has not yet been funded to meet our planned January 2025 start date, so some new administration must give the green light for implementation.”, he commented Alvarez.
Dr. Ilan Shapiro, AltaMed's chief medical officer and medical affairs officer, explained that they serve around 500,000 patients, of which 1,000 are children, and when a patient comes to them, especially between zero and five years of age, they feel committed, because they have the dream that that child will do the same work and labor in the community clinics where services are provided.
"We are there to make sure we give them the best tools, moments and protection for those children to grow up and become the adults we need.", he added. Shapiro, highlighting the importance of engagement in the health care system for children.
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