Statement by Children's Health Fund Co-Founder and President Irwin Redlener, M.D., on New Study Demonstrating Medicaid Benefits

NEW YORK, July 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following statement is by Children's Health Fund Co-Founder and President Irwin Redlener, M.D.:

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"With Medicaid under attack in legislatures across the country, this historic study reinforces the need for low-income families to have access to comprehensive and continuous health care.

"Structural changes, such as block-granting and spending caps, endanger the proven benefits of Medicaid for the 30 million children who depend on it for crucial health care services. In the midst of vicious budget slashing, we must ensure that children's health care remains a national priority.

"Cutting Medicaid benefits would have devastating long-term consequences on America's most medically underserved children, putting them at significantly increased risk of lifelong health problems.

"Children who lack regular access to health care services often go without the immunizations and preventive care they need and may delay treatment for chronic conditions like asthma and diabetes."

Background:

A first-of-its-kind study, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, examined the impact of providing medical insurance to low-income people. The study found that those with Medicaid were:

• 35 percent more likely to go to a clinic or see a doctor;
• 15 percent more likely to use prescription drugs;
• 25 percent more likely to say that their health was good or excellent; and
• 40 percent less likely to say that their health had worsened in the past year.

Among women, those with Medicaid were:

• 70 percent more likely to have a particular clinic or office for medical care; and
• 55 percent more likely to have a doctor whom they usually saw.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/07/health/policy/07medicaid.html?_r=1&hp  

Children's Health Fund
Founded in 1987 by singer/songwriter Paul Simon and pediatrician/advocate Irwin Redlener, M.D., Children's Health Fund (CHF) is the nation's leading pediatric provider of mobile-based health care for homeless and low-income children and their families. CHF's mission is to bring health care directly to those in need through the development and support of innovative medical programs, response to public health crises, and the promotion of guaranteed access to health care for all children. CHF currently has 50 mobile medical clinics serving hundreds of locations across the country. Over the past 24 years, the organization has supported more than two million health care visits for disadvantaged children, often in places where doctors and health care providers are in short supply. For more information about CHF, visit www.childrenshealthfund.org.

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Irwin Redlener, M.D.
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SOURCE Children's Health Fund