Children's Health Care
Overview
Children cannot learn if they aren’t healthy. Our work in implementing Ready by 21 is to promote nutrition, exercise and healthy behaviors and to make sure all kids have health-care coverage, including dental, mental health and primary medical care.
More than 9 million children under age 19 are uninsured in America. Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program have played a fundamental role in reducing the number of uninsured children. Nationally, Medicaid covers more than 25% of all children and the State Children's Health Insurance Program covers an additional 4 million kids.
We still have a long way to go to ensure that every child grows up healthy and ready to succeed in school and in life. While Kansas and Missouri have made important gains over the last few years, we have also had many set backs. There are still many steps we can take to improve the health of our children.
Why Do Children Need Health Care Coverage?
- Over 20% of uninsured children have at least one unmet health need compared to 6% of insured children.
- Uninsured children are over three times less likely to receive a needed prescription drug.
- Uninsured children are more likely to experience a hospital stay that could have been avoided if a doctor had been seen earlier. Partnership for Children believes that all children should have access to quality, affordable health care services to meet their medical, dental, vision, and mental health needs.
2011 Missouri Health Policy Agenda
- Children's Health Insurance
- Support legislation that mandates strategies to enroll currently eligible children in MO HealthNet for Kids.
- Childhood Obesity
- Promote active living lifestyles and healthy eating by supporting state and local policies that improve access to fresh foods and school-based nutrition services.
- Coordinated Care
- Support increasing access to medical services for children in rural areas through coordinated care expansions.
- Protect Critical Funding for:
- Children's mental health services.
- Youth tobacco prevention and cessation programs.
- Medicaid reimbursement rates.
- Presumptive Elegibility in children's health coverage.
