WASHINGTON, DC — On the heels of the Trump Administration's decision to allow states to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients, many of whom are children, Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA), executive director Dr. Lynette M. Fraga released the following statement:
“Almost 70 million pregnant women, children and people with low incomes rely on Medicaid to get the health care they need.
We are troubled by the Administration’s decision to allow states to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients. Medicaid is a critical program that not only supports low-income children and parents, but people with disabilities and senior citizens. Nearly half of all child births are covered by Medicaid and we fear that new requirements could cause millions of working families to lose coverage.
Child Care Aware® of America is dedicated to ensuring all families have access to affordable, high-quality child care. However, far too many families can neither gain access or afford care, which leads to negative economic impacts on them as parents and caregivers have to stay home from work to watch their children. Many of these parents and caregivers rely on Medicaid.
We hope that the Administration will reconsider this proposal as it would impose unnecessary harm on children and families.”
More than 11 million children under the age of five are in some form of child care in the United States. As the nation’s leading voice for child care, CCAoA is comprised of 125,000 online advocates from across the country and more than 32,000 members. Over 250 parents have shared their stories with lawmakers through our Family Advocacy Summit and Day on The Hill. For child care providers, we offer trainings on emergency preparedness as well as technical assistance that emphasize health, nutrition and obesity prevention and more.
To learn more about Child Care Aware® of America’s advocacy efforts visit usa.childcareaware.org or follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook using #ChildCareWorks.
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About Child Care Aware® of America
Child Care Aware® of America is our nation’s leading voice for child care. CCAoA works with state and local Child Care Resource and Referral agencies (CCR&Rs) and other community partners to ensure that all families have access to quality, affordable child care. CCAoA leads projects that increase the quality and availability of child care, offer comprehensive training to child care professionals, undertake research, and advocate for child care policies that improve the lives of children and families. To learn more, visit usa.childcareaware.org. Follow them on Twitter @USAChildCare and on Facebook at facebook.com/usachildcare.
