<p> American Health Care Act (AHCA) March 2017 Talking Points </p><p>· We need to put children first: As Congress deliberates major changes to health care insurance, delivery and payments, children – particularly those covered by Medicaid and CHIP – must be the highest priority. Children are our future; healthy children will lead to healthy, productive adults. · Insurance rates are at all-time highs. About 97 percent of Minnesota children are covered by public or private health insurance today. These children are more likely to receive preventive care and less likely to use the Emergency Room, resulting in overall cost savings. · 2 in 5 MN children rely on Medicaid/CHIP. Children are disproportionately affected by cuts to funding. In Minnesota, 2 out of 5 children are afforded access to health care through Medicaid and CHIP programs. Although children comprise about half of all Medicaid enrollees, they account for less than 20 percent of all Medicaid spending. · Cuts to Medicaid hurt kids. The per capita caps and other restrictions outlined in the AHCA would lead to drastic reductions in children covered by Medicaid, significant cuts to benefits and even tighter access to physicians. Without access to insurance, many families defer or skip critically needed care, resulting in poorer health outcomes and higher costs that impact everyone. Beyond Medicaid, the cuts would extend to public health programs, such as Vaccines for Children, lead poisoning prevention and disease monitoring, which are designed to reduce or avert issues early on. · No child should be denied access to health insurance. In addition to reducing the number of children covered by Medicaid, the AHCA would eliminate federal funding for MinnesotaCare, a program for low-income families who don't qualify for Medicaid. For modest-income families who purchase insurance in the individual market, the AHCA would eliminate subsidies based on income, making insurance even more unaffordable. Bottom line: Every child needs and deserves access to reasonable health coverage, health care and health services, which pave the way for education and employment. </p>