12.12.24

Democrats’ Health Care Proposals Would Make Sure 400,000 Additional Kids Receive Health Care, Boost Economic Growth, CBO Finds

“It is morally bankrupt and an absolute racket to push for trillions in tax cuts so megadonors keep paying lower rates than nurses and plumbers, and then cite deficit concerns to rob kids of health care,” said the Senate Budget Chairman

Washington, D.C.—According to a new estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Democrats’ proposals to expand health care for children would extend Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage to 400,000 more children each year and increase U.S. gross domestic product by $31 billion in the long term.

In 2024, Medicaid provided health coverage for 100 million people, including more than half of all children, and it covered more than 40 percent of all U.S. births.

Previous CBO analysis has found that every dollar invested in increasing children’s enrollment in Medicaid reduces future deficits by two dollars.  Research shows that increasing children’s access to health care leads to better health outcomes, higher educational attainment, and improved financial security.

But last year, Republicans proposed gutting Medicaid, which would have cut health insurance for 21 million people. More recently, Republicans have proposed slashing Medicaid to help pay for Trump’s tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy and corporate giants, which CBO found would cost $4.6 trillion.

“Making sure more kids have access to health care should be one of the least controversial actions we can take as a nation, and the boost to economic growth is just a cherry on top,” said Budget Chairman Whitehouse. “Yet Republicans already tried to snatch health insurance from millions of people, and they are planning to cut funding for children’s health insurance next year—along with funding for veterans’ health care, home heating, and child care—to pay for another round of Trump tax cuts for billionaires and big corporations.  It is morally bankrupt and an absolute racket to push for trillions in tax cuts so megadonors keep paying lower rates than nurses and plumbers, and then cite deficit concerns to rob kids of health care.”

Read the full report here.