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The health of a child impacts their own well-being in many areas, and can have social and financial consequences for their families and communities.
Health care needs to be accessible and affordable, particularly for children and their families, including pregnant women and women who will become pregnant. Health insurance coverage is critical to access to preventative care for children – those covered by health insurance are much more likely to receive the preventative care they need as they grow and develop. Preventative health care, like prenatal care or well-child care, can provide an incredible return on investment, saving families and communities from costs related to specialized health care, special education, and other supports.
Each year:
- Nearly 30,000 babies are born to mothers who received less than adequate prenatal care, one in every five births.
- 5,000 toddlers (ages 1-2) are found with high enough lead levels in their systems to compromise their development.
- Poor children in Michigan are more likely to lack consistent health insurance and access to a regular care giver, and suffer from compromised health than higher income children.
Michigan’s Children works with policymakers, advocacy partners and community leaders to advance public policies and programs that seek to improve the health status of children and families, including the Medicaid and MI Child programs, infant mortality prevention efforts, lead poisoning prevention efforts, health education, and school and community-based health services.
- Link to health-related legislation in Michigan here.
Children's Health Care Reform
REMEMBER CHILDREN
IN HEALTH REFORM
For children, health reform must follow one simple principle: Fix what’s broken and build on what works.
A healthy America starts with healthy children. And, as Congress works to reform our nation’s health care system, Michigan's Children is working with First Focus in urging them to remember the unique needs of children.
For more about Health Care Reform, click here.
Medicaid and SCHIP
Michigan's Children and many partners on the state, federal and local levels have worked hard to ensure a favorable reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), known as MIChild in Michigan, as well as a strong Medicaid program. Michigan's Children will continue to work to ensure the expansion of SCHIP funds to reach the goal of insuring all children in Michigan, and that the Medicaid program remains the backbone of the public health care system for children in need.
For more about Medicaid and SCHIP, click here.
Michigan's Children's partners
Michigan’s Children works with policymakers, advocacy partners and community leaders to advance public policies and programs that seek to improve the health status of children and families. Health issues central to us include:
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Medicaid and MiChild Programs
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Infant mortality prevention efforts
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Lead Poisoning prevention efforts
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Health education
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School and community-based health services
To connect to our key advocacy partners in health, click on their names below:
Association for Children’s Mental Health
First Focus
Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health
Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health
Michigan Primary Care Association
Public Health Association
Prevention Network
School-Community Health Alliance of Michigan
Families USA
Voices for America's Children
Resources
The Health and Well-Being of Children: A Portrait of States and the Nation 2007 from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (published in July 2009) is now available online. Click here to read Michigan's profile.
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