Congresswoman Baldwin Stood Up for Wisconsin Children, Again, By Opposing the State Flexibility (Child Fragility) Act

Representative Tammy Baldwin stood up for children, people with disabilities and the elderly by opposing the “State Flexibility Act” (or perhaps more appropriately, the Child Fragility Act) a bill that would eliminate the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program stability protections.  Representative Baldwin and other Members of the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee did a commendable job in explaining that the legislation would trade off the health and well-being of children for phantom cost savings that would really only serve to shift costs to local communities, hospitals, doctors and children and families who could least afford it.  Despite their best efforts, the bill was approved on a party-line vote and now moves to the full committee.

In Wisconsin, the stability protections have helped preserve the successful BadgerCare Plus program and have maintained a crucial lifeline to children and families during tough economic times. If this legislation were to be enacted into law and the stability protections were eliminated, the health care coverage of over 465,000 Wisconsin children would be put in immediate risk. The Walker Administration is already looking for “flexibility” by working on a state-specific waiver of the stability protections. This bill would take away the federal Department of Health and Human Services check on state changes to BadgerCare Plus.

Health care coverage is a vital link between children and a successful future.  Without health insurance, children are more likely to suffer with undiagnosed and untreated conditions, such as ear infections, that interfere with their ability to learn.  They may not be able to afford eyeglasses needed to see the blackboard or get timely screenings for autism spectrum disorders. Children need health care coverage to get a good start in life.

Roughly two-thirds of those who would be harmed by the State Flexibility Act are children; however, they are not the only group that would be hurt by elimination of the stability protections.  Seniors who are unable to care for themselves in their own homes could lose the help they need to pay for long-term care, putting a tremendous strain on them and their families. In addition, people with disabilities may no longer receive the support they need to live independently. 

The American public strongly opposes such an outcome. In fact, according to a recent First Focus poll, by a two-to-one margin, voters oppose providing states more flexibility if it means eliminating coverage for some children. With families and communities still struggling to gain a foothold after turbulent economic times, this is no time to pass more costs onto those who can least afford it. We would like to commend Rep. Baldwin for opposing this cost-shifting bill that would harm children, those with disabilities and the elderly in need of long-term care.  We encourage the entire Wisconsin delegation in Congress to follow Rep. Baldwin’s lead in opposing the State Flexibility (Child Fragility) Act.