hispanic_familyAll children, especially those living in low-income and vulnerable families, need access to affordable health care. Today, we released a special report, Medicaid Expansion in Kentucky: Benefits to Kids and Families, which examines the numerous family and child health benefits that result from parents having affordable health coverage.

The new report features research that shows parent health impacts child health. More specifically, when parents have health coverage, their children are more likely to be insured, too. In 2014, Kentucky expanded Medicaid to low-income adults, including many parents, up to 138% of the federal poverty level. Between 2013 and 2014, Kentucky saw one of the most dramatic drops of all states in its uninsured rate, including a 27 percent drop in the number of uninsured kids.

In August 2016, Governor Bevin’s Administration submitted an 1115 Waiver proposal to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which would make several changes to Kentucky’s Medicaid program. Most of the proposed changes in the waiver, called Kentucky HEALTH, directly impact individuals and parents who received coverage through expanded Medicaid in 2014. The new special report highlights the importance of family health coverage and offers recommendations for the future of Medicaid expansion in Kentucky.

To read the special report, click here.