John Kerry on Medicaid: The Status Quo is Broken, Especially When It Comes to Kids

John Kerry on Medicaid: The Status Quo is Broken, Especially When It Comes to Kids

Below is a statement by John Kerry on today's Senate Finance Committee hearing on Medicaid:

"It's no wonder that states have begun to exploit any loopholes they can find to maximize federal reimbursements under the Medicaid program. State budgets have been hurting the past several years under the Bush economic slump, and programs like Medicaid are often the hardest squeezed.

"It's important to think about the people who get hurt when Medicaid needs to make cuts - it's the most vulnerable in our society, the very sick and children. Eleven million kids in America today don't have health care coverage. On the wealthiest nation on the face of the earth, that simply shouldn't be the case.

"My KidsFirst plan would get these kids covered, without dumping the problem on cash-strapped states. It offers states a new bargain. The national government will give them the Medicaid money they're owed in exchange for a commitment not only to cover all kids, but to make sure they get the coverage they're eligible for. That means cutting the current red tape and bureaucratic obstacles that result in the huge gap between the kids who are eligible and those who actually get covered.

"Surely we can all agree on the need to do this for America's children."

http://kerry.senate.gov/v3/cfm/record.cfm?id=240184