Much of the dialogue surrounding the hundreds of billions of proposed Medicaid cuts passed by the Senate on Tuesday is centered on the impact on nearly 80 million Medicaid enrollees, half of whom are children. What does not receive as much attention, and which I’d argue is underappreciated, is how cuts to Medicaid would impact all children by devastating pediatric health systems, not just those in the program.
I have the privilege of working in a well-resourced pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) in a large freestanding children’s hospital. On a day-to-day basis, I take care of the sickest children locally and referred from across the country. I have no idea what insurance coverage my patients have — my team simply does everything to take care of the sick child in front of us.