CARSON CITY, Nev. - Health advocates are pressing the U.S. Senate to approve the Build Back Better Act, because it would improve Medicaid and CHIP - the Children's Health Insurance Program.

The bill, which already has passed the House, would offer 12 months of continuous coverage to children who qualify for Medicaid.

A new brief co-authored by Joan Alker - research professor at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy and executive director of its Center for Children and Families - found that during the early Trump years, one in ten children experienced a gap in coverage over the course of 12 months.

"After we saw this troubling reverse in the progress we'd made as a country in reducing the number of uninsured kids, which came to a halt in 2017 and started going in the wrong direction," said Alker, "the Build Back Better bill would really turn that around and start moving the country in the right direction."

In Nevada, children in families of three earning about $45,000 a year or less are eligible for affordable health coverage through Medicaid or Nevada Checkup. Opponents say the $2 trillion Build Back Better Act is too costly.

The bill also would permanently fund CHIP, so it doesn't have to be renewed every few years. It also makes it much easier for all states to expand eligibility for kids.

Kendall Lyons, director of health policy for the Children's Advocacy Alliance in Nevada, said the bill also would cut down maternal mortality by extending post-partum Medicaid coverage for one year.

"The extension of post-partum coverage from 60 days, which is what it currently is in Nevada, to 12 months," said Lyons, "would be huge for providing crucial care for people after they've given birth."

Last year a report from the State of Nevada on maternal mortality found that there were 129 pregnancy-associated deaths in the Silver State from 2015 to 2019.

Results of a poll by the Save the Children Action Network show voters of all backgrounds are struggling with the cost of living and want the government to do more to address such needs.

Iowa mirrored the national numbers. The poll showed a large, bipartisan majority of voters want help affording food and grocery prices, and child care costs.

Tiffany Welch, Iowa volunteer leader for Save the Children, said the issues are especially crucial in rural parts of the state and overall in Iowa, food banks and assistance programs are seeing record-breaking numbers of people in need.

"What that equals is one in six Iowa children are currently food insecure, and that is over 110,000 kids," Welch reported. "We are getting ready for back-to-school time but food insecurity is particularity a troublesome problem during the summer."

Gov. Kim Reynolds opted not to participate in a federal food subsidy program for kids this summer but instead make use of on-site food distribution sites. Child advocates have started a petition to encourage the state to participate in the SUN Bucks program next summer.

Christy Gleason, executive director of the Save the Children Action Network, said the group is calling on lawmakers to expand SNAP benefits and other policies affecting kids in the Farm Bill and observed the survey showed voters are making their decisions based on those issues, even during a time of intense polarization.

"Americans from across the political spectrum, from all walks of life, from all kinds of communities, want lawmakers to prioritize policies that help families afford high-quality child care and nutritious food," Gleason emphasized.

The latest Farm Bill, which has already been extended for a year, remains stalled in Congress.

It is time for families to prep kids for the school year and Wyoming experts said sleep and social media hygiene are key.

Children's health experts said routine physicals, comprehensive eye exams and dental appointments can keep kids healthy during the school year and prevent them from missing classes for unexpected appointments.

Dr. Michael Sanderson, a pediatrician and president of the Wyoming Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said sleep is among one of the more challenging routines to reestablish during the school year.

"Parents tend to let kids' sleep routines and their screen time restrictions go during the summertime," Sanderson observed. "Five or six hours or more per day, which is definitely not their usual routine while school is in session."

Sanderson added if their screen time is on social media, children are likely feeling the stressors of bigger issues. He pointed out with a big election coming up, kids of certain age groups are 'very in tune' with politics, which are increasingly extreme. He reminded parents to monitor kids' social media use and be mindful of what kinds of materials kids are seeing.

After a 2023 2023 Wyoming House Bill to provide grants to assist K-12 public schools in providing mental health services died in committee, attention to kids' mental health at home continues to be vital.

Dr. Rhonda Randall, chief medical officer and executive vice president of UnitedHealthcare Employer and Individual, said there are other ways to establish good routines, including having scheduled family dinners when possible.

"You know, I recognize that you can't do that every night," Randall acknowledged. "Everyone's busy and sometimes running in different directions, but doing that as often as possible really does create a routine that's predictable and healthy for the child."

Randall added routines at home can help children feel more confident and stable in school, too.

Foster families will have free access to Idaho state parks under a new initiative.

The Idaho State Park Foster Family Passport program will give families annual passes to the state's 30 parks. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and the Department of Parks and Recreation are partnering on the program, which is funded by Regence BlueShield of Idaho and the Idaho Business for the Outdoors.

Laura Denner, division administrator of family and community partnerships for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, explained the motivation behind the program.

"We really know that outcomes are better for the families and children when they're engaged in extra activities and Idahoans really love the outdoors," Denner pointed out. "We thought this was a great opportunity to help those families get out and be together in our Idaho wilderness."

Denner noted there are about 1,400 foster children in Idaho but only about 1,100 foster families, about half the number the state needs. Denner hopes additional benefits like the passport program will help attract more families to fostering.

Along with passes, Denner said the Department of Parks and Recreation is offering classes throughout the state so foster kids and their families can learn outdoor skills.

"It might be cooking over a campfire, building a campfire, setting up a tent and a camp space," Denner outlined. "It could be things like paddleboarding."

Denner added the state is finding other ways to retain and attract foster families as well. Starting in October, state employees who become foster parents will be eligible for eight weeks of parental leave when they welcome a child into their home.


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