As Congress considers $880 billion in Medicaid cuts, the health and wellbeing of our children, and our nation’s future, perilously hang in the balance.

Today’s episode explores how the proposed cuts would put young lives at risk. Defunding this critical safety net for Americans would threaten the health, development and future prosperity of the more than 37 million children who rely on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP). It could force states to ration care; delay access to vaccinations, screenings, and other essential services; burden families with crushing medical bills; perpetuate cycles of poverty; and exacerbate children’s health disparities.

The panel also highlights how the benefits of these public health insurance programs – for families and our society – exceed the costs to government. Babies and mothers are more likely to survive. Kids are less likely to have chronic conditions, preventable disease, and mental illness as they grow older, and more likely to attend college, to work, and to pay taxes as adults. Research clearly shows that investing in our children’s health not only improves the quality of life for the kids who depend on Medicaid and CHIP but also contributes to our nation’s economic growth and prosperity.

Host Heather Howard, a professor at Princeton University and former New Jersey Commissioner of Health, is joined by two guests: renowned economist Janet Currie, a Princeton professor and director of the University’s Center for Health and Wellbeing, whose pioneering research in the economic analysis of child development has helped to shape public policy over the past several decades; and Abuko Estrada, Vice President of Medicaid and Child Health Policy at First Focus on Children, who brings deep experience working on Medicaid and children’s health policy at the state and federal levels, inside and outside of government.

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Read related papers authored by Janet Currie:

Administrative Burdens and Child Medicaid and CHIP Enrollments | NBER

What We Say And What We Do: Why US Investments In Children’s Health Are Falling Short | Health Affairs

Read more about the impact of proposed Medicaid and CHIP cuts on children’s health, from First Focus on Children:

Prescription for Disaster: The Impact of Proposed Medicaid and CHIP Cuts on Children’s Health | First Focus on Children

The Princeton Pulse Podcast is a production of Princeton University's Center for Health and Wellbeing (CHW). The show is hosted by Heather Howard, a professor at Princeton University and former New Jersey Commissioner of Health and Senior Services, produced by Aimee Bronfeld, and edited by Alex Brownstein. You can subscribe to The Princeton Pulse Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you enjoy your favorite podcasts.