SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – El acceso a tratamiento médico para niños con enfermedades y condiciones crónicas es un grave problema en las zonas rurales de Illinois. Un reporte reciente detectó que Medicaid juega un papel más importante en el Illinois rural que en las ciudades más grandes.

La investigación “Medicaid en los Pueblos Pequeños de América Rural” (Medicaid in Small Towns and Rural America) revisó los 50 estados del país y encontró que aproximadamente un 45 por ciento de los infantes que habitan en pequeños pueblos y zonas rurales dependen de Medicaid para tener cobertura, comparado con el 38 por ciento de las áreas metropolitanas.

Stephanie Becker, especialista de políticas para adultos mayores en el Centro Nacional Sargent Shriver sobre la Ley de La Pobreza (Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law) con base en Chicago, dice que más de cuatro por cada diez niños de las áreas no metropolitanas de Illinois tienen cobertura a través de Medicaid y del Programa de Seguro de Salud Infantil (Childrens’ Health Insurance Program).

“En algunos condados de Illinois incluso es más. Por ejemplo, en Alexander, un 63 por ciento de niños tienen cobertura de Medicaid, y en el condado Hardin sólo la mitad de niños están cubiertos por Medicaid.”

El reporte indica que el 75 por ciento de los niños con condiciones médicas especializadas viven en familias de ingresos medios o bajos. Las propuestas del Presidente Donald Trump y el Congreso de los Estados Unidos cortarían 1.4 trillones de dólares a Medicaid durante la próxima década.

Becker dice que muchos pueblos pequeños no tienen centros de atención especializada, lo que significa que las familias deben viajar lejos con sus hijos enfermos, y pagar alimentos y noches de hotel durante el viaje. Dice que frecuentemente tienen las manos atadas en lo referente al dinero.

“Los trabajos no pagan tanto, así que la cobertura de Medicaid da protección financiera y estabilidad económica a las familias, para que no tengan que gastar todo su dinero en cuentas médicas.”

El reporte del Centro sobre los Niños y las Familias de la Universidad Georgetown encontró también que la expansión de la Ley de Cuidado Asequible (Affordable Care Act) ha tenido un impacto positivo mayor en los pueblos pequeños que en las áreas urbanas.

El reporte (en inglés) está en: https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2017/06/06/rural-health-report/


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October is National Bullying Prevention Month and a recent study showed teens bullied in high school tend to become pessimistic about life prospects.

The study, published in the Journal of Research on Adolescence found students who experienced relational bullying were more likely to develop depressive symptoms and over time became more pessimistic about both academics and career prospects beyond high school. Relational bullying includes things like starting rumors, being deliberately ignored and exclusion from group activities.

Hannah L. Schacter, assistant professor of psychology at Wayne State University in Detroit, said a student's perception of social inadequacy can spread into other parts of life.

"You're receiving a message from your peers that you are someone who doesn't deserve positive treatment, and that may then generalize to these other life domains," Schacter explained. "Now you expect that you're not going to be able to do well academically, or perhaps you won't be able to achieve what you wanted in terms of your work or kind of life plans."

Maryland requires county boards of education to track and report on bullying. This year's report showed there were more than 7,800 incidences of bullying reported during the 2022-23 school year, an increase of 25% over the year prior.

Researchers found students who experienced overt victimization such as direct verbal or physical attacks did not report lower future expectations. Earlier research showed relational victimization had negative effects on elementary students' academic performance and standardized test scores over time. Schacter argued schools need to see the effects of bullying not just as a challenging social issue but also an educational priority.

"As there's been increased recognition of how it can negatively impact teens, more and more schools have, at the very least, adopted anti bullying policies," Schacter acknowledged. "Unfortunately, it's very time intensive, and can be quite costly to implement evidence based large scale school interventions for bullying."

Maryland's State Department of Education adopted a model policy to address bullying, harassment and intimidation in 2009 and has updated it in the years since. Last year the department began offering an online introduction to bullying prevention for educators.


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October is National Bullying Prevention Month and a new study showed teens bullied in high school tend to become pessimistic about their future.

Researchers found adolescents who experienced relational bullying were more likely to develop depressive symptoms and over time became more pessimistic about academics and career prospects beyond high school. Relational bullying includes things like starting rumors, being deliberately ignored and exclusion from group activities.

Hannah L. Schacter, assistant professor of psychology at Wayne State University in Detroit, said a student's perception of social inadequacy can spread into other parts of life.

"You're receiving a message from your peers that you are someone who doesn't deserve positive treatment, and that may then generalize to these other life domains," Schacter explained. "Now you expect that you're not going to be able to do well academically, or perhaps you won't be able to achieve what you wanted in terms of your work or kind of life plans."

The study began with more than 300 9th graders at 38 different high schools across Michigan. Students completed online surveys multiple times per year over three years.

Researchers found students who experienced overt victimization such as direct verbal or physical attacks did not report lower future expectations. Prior research established relational victimization affected elementary students' academic performance and standardized test scores over time. Schacter argued schools need to see the effects of bullying not just as a challenging social issue but also as an educational priority.

"As there's been increased recognition of how it can negatively impact teens, more and more schools have, at the very least, adopted anti-bullying policies," Schacter acknowledged. "Unfortunately, it's very time intensive, and can be quite costly to implement evidence-based large-scale school interventions for bullying."

She added it is important to have strong communication between researchers, policymakers and administrators to address bullying so it is not too burdensome for schools and is backed by what researchers have learned.

The biannual Pro-Kid Scorecard from the Children Now Action Fund was released today.

In it, 12 state Assembly members and seven state Senators earned a 100% rating.

Kelly Hardy, senior managing director of health and research at the nonprofit Children Now Action Fund, said the scoring reflects more than how lawmakers vote.

"They voted the right way on health and child welfare, child care, education," Hardy outlined. "They also supported kids in the budget, which is not always an easy thing to do when we've got budget deficits."

The lowest scores hovered around 48%, awarded to lawmakers who voted against certain bills but also voted for proposals like forced outing policies for LGBTQ+ students in schools.

Hardy noted the report is intended to inform voters as they head to the ballot box next month.

"Kids may not vote but we want to elect legislators who do their best to support kids," Hardy explained.

California ranks 35th in the nation for child well-being, according to the latest Annie E. Casey Foundation report and is just above the national average for per-pupil spending on K-12 education.