Rep. Neguse Introduces Bill Expanding Health Care Coverage for Children

Washington, D.C. — Today, Congressman Joe Neguse introduced the Save Children's Coverage Act, a bill to expand and preserve access to health care coverage for children and certain adults. Throughout the COVID-19 public health emergency children and eligible individuals enrolled in Medicaid and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) have had continuous eligibility, meaning that over the course of the pandemic they have not been redetermined or disenrolled from critical coverage plans. When the public health emergency officially ends on May 11, 2023, these individuals are at risk of losing health care coverage. The Save Children’s Coverage Act circumvents the administratively burdensome waiver processes and authorizes their inclusion in Standard State Plan Amendment (SPA) options—securing continued access to health care coverage for over 250,000 kids in the state of Colorado alone. 

“As our country recovers from the devastating coronavirus pandemic, we must ensure that lifesaving healthcare policies remain intact. The Save Children’s Coverage Act secures health care coverage plans put in place to protect hundreds of thousands of kids, not just in Colorado, but across America. Just as we did throughout COVID-19, we must remain committed to caring for the health and wellbeing of some of this country’s most vulnerable citizens,” said Congressman Joe Neguse.  

“The Save Children’s Coverage Act will help hundreds of thousands of kids across the country who are eligible for public health coverage – including tens of thousands of kids in Colorado – stay insured,” said Erin Miller, Vice President of Health Initiatives at the Colorado Children’s Campaign. “During the Public Health Emergency, kids and families got covered and stayed covered – a definite bright spot in the dark days of the pandemic. This bill gives states additional flexibility to maintain these coverage gains and easily reduce burdensome redetermination processes that make it hard for families with young kids, those who don’t speak English as a first language, and people without stable housing to maintain their Medicaid and CHIP coverage. We wholeheartedly support this legislation and thank Representative Neguse for his leadership on this important issue.”

The Save Children’s Coverage Act creates new health care coverage flexibilities for states that wish to have:

• Continuous coverage for children under 6 years old,
• Continuous 24-month eligibility for all children under 19 years old; and 
• Continuous 12-month eligibility for adults in transition, which include individuals who qualify as low income, houseless, or those transitioning from a carceral setting

Standard State Plan Amendments (SPA) are an agreement between a state and the Federal government describing how that state plans to administer its Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP). The Save Children’s Coverage Act would allow for the state of Colorado to establish health care coverage plans for eligible children and adults before the end of the public health emergency. 

The bill is endorsed by Colorado Children's Campaign, Families USA, Colorado Academy of Family Physicians, ProgressNow Colorado, Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, Centennial State Prosperity, Children's Hospital Colorado, HungerFree CO, National Disability Rights Network, Parent Possible, Colorado Safety Net Collaborative, Colorado Access, Colorado Center on Law and Policy, Healthier Colorado, Mental Health Colorado, Colorado Community Health Network, Kentucky Equal Justice Center, United States of Care, Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity & Reproductive Rights, Voices for Virginia’s Children, Boulder County Commissioners, Elephant Circle, Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), West Central Initiative, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, ACA Consumer Advocacy, Center for Health Progress, The Women's Foundation of Colorado, Kids At Their Best, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, Colorado School, Medicaid Consortium, WeeCycle, Youth Healthcare Alliance, The Colorado Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, SIECUS, and Children's Partnership. 

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