Senate Democrat proposes universal health care for children

Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) on Tuesday unveiled a proposal for all American children to receive Medicare, a program he’s dubbed MediKids, saying Democrats must bring new ideas to move the conversation on healthcare forward.

Kim’s MediKids Act would automatically enroll every child into the program at birth, provide continued eligibility until the age of 26 and cover 100 percent of the federal medical assistance percentage for this cohort.

The New Jersey senator said he has been thinking about this since the birth of his son in 2017, when doctors warned he could be born with serious medical complications. Kim noted his child, now 9 years old, is healthy and thriving.

“I want it to get out there because I know that there’s overwhelming support from the American people for ideas like this, and there’s a hunger for ideas right now,” Kim told reporters, saying........

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