It is essential for children and their families to have access to affordable healthcare. When children have health coverage and access to healthcare, they are more likely to stay healthy and can better manage their health conditions so they can thrive. Maintaining good health in a child’s developmental period is critical for setting up a foundation for them to succeed later in life, as health conditions during this time have the potential to impact a child long term. Investing in children’s health is an investment for the future.
A big issue with children’s health is that too many children are uninsured and do not have access to the healthcare they need. The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was established to provide health coverage to children who are in low-income families that don’t qualify for Medicaid and are unable to afford private health insurance. Despite many children still needing health coverage, CHIP has been monumental in supporting children’s health and their families with the children focused program design.
For Utah, prioritizing children’s health is significant, given that about 30 percent of the state’s population are children. Many Utah children lost their health coverage in 2023 due to federal rules being lifted that prevented Medicaid recipients from being disenrolled. In fact, Utah has one of the highest rates in the nation of children who are uninsured at 6 percent; however, progress has been made in recent months.
More immigrant children have become eligible for coverage through Utah’s new State CHIP program, which arose from the passage of SB217. Since open enrollment began on January 1, there have been more than 1000 children enrolled in State CHIP as of May 6, 2024. There have also been federal changes to allow all children on Medicaid, not just on CHIP, to have year-round coverage. Continued prioritization and support for the issue of children’s health and programs like CHIP is necessary to ensure millions of children across the nation keep the health coverage they need.
