Medicaid Supports

5 Austin South Asian | December 2021 How Medicaid Supports Our Nation’s Health

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities across our nation’s healthcare system, shining a light on disparities in access to care and health outcomes.

People of color and those with low incomes are often left without access to high-quality, affordable health insurance, causing them to delay or forgo lifesaving care.

Strides have been made in improving access to coverage with the implementation of Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act(ACA).

To date, more than one in five people in the United States — nearly 75 million Americans—rely on Medicaid for health coverage, making it the country’s largest healthcare program. More than 15 million of these Medicaid enrollees were made eligible through the expansion of coverage brought about by the ACA.

Everyone needs access to health insurance, yet those who are least able to afford it are left with the fewest options for coverage.

More than 2.2 million adults make too much money to be eligible for traditional Medicaid, but not enough to receive subsidies to purchase health insurance through the ACA Marketplace.

The benefits of Medicaid for the individual are well-documented, leading to:

• Better health outcomes: Among Medicaid participants, there are fewer premature deaths, fewer adults with low income screening positive for depression, improved diabetes and hypertension control and an increase in early-stage cancer diagnoses. • Improved access to care for children: Extending coverage to adults increases enrollment among eligible children and increases the care they received, including wellchild visits, access to dental care, immunizations and vision care.

• More adults with low income are getting check-ups and other preventative care and have greater access to early and adequate prenatal care.

• Increased economic mobility: Participants have better access to credit, including lowinterest mortgages and auto loans, and have an increased ability to seek employment.

The benefits of Medicaid for states’ economic health are also well-documented: • Reduced uncompensated care costs. Those who can’t afford coverage are more likely to seek care in high-cost settings like emergency rooms.

When uninsured patients are unable to pay, these unpaid medical bills drive up uncompensated care costs which in turn are absorbed by hospitals and the federal and state governments.

• Improvements in hospital budgets, especially for rural hospitals.

• Fewer evictions among renters with low income.

Perhaps most importantly, Medicaid provides peace of mind to people who would otherwise be uninsured. As a nation still in the trenches of the pandemic, it is crucial that we move towards ensuring everyone living in the United States has access to quality, affordable health coverage.

To learn more about Medicaid, visit https:// thatsmedicaid.org. (StatePoint)

New Efforts Are Helping Close The Eye Care Gap For Children

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“The ability to see is not a privilege. It is a right owed to every single kid in our community and beyond,” says, Shlomi Nachman, company group chairman, Cardiovascular & Specialty Solutions Group and Johnson & Johnson Vision.

As it turns out, teachers are frequently the first to notice a child needs vision correction. Teachers have a unique ability to identify behavioral changes and notice when children suffer socially and academically, which may be attributed to poor vision.

According to a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association Ophthalmology, students in grades 3 to 7 who received vision correction through a schoolbased vision program achieved better reading scores.

This is why Sight For Kids provides teachers with training to deliver eye health education and mobilizes local Lions Clubs to screen for common eye conditions. Students identified with potential vision impairment or eye ailments are then referred to healthcare providers for a comprehensive evaluation. In an effort to reduce vision care inequities, the program also provides students with nocost eye health education, screening, eye exams, glasses and special follow-up treatment and care, if necessary.

“As teachers, if we notice the signs of vision problems, we can refer students and their families to the proper health care provider,” says Edna Johnson, a grade school teacher at St. Lucie County Schools.

In the South Florida area, Johnson & Johnson Vision and LCIF are collaborating with the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired through its Florida Heiken Children’s Vision Program to help 20,000 students facing inequities get much needed eye care, including educational eye health materials in four languages to meet the needs of diverse communities.

“This program enables us to ensure children in our community have the eye exams and glasses they need to be successful in school and to potentially prevent serious eye health conditions before they cause permanent damage,” says Virginia A. Jacko, president and CEO, Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Florida Heiken Children’s Vision Program.

Nearly 2,000 kids in South Florida have received an eye exam since September 2021 alone, thanks to Sight For Kids and 4 million have globally in the past year. Among those who’ve benefitted from the program is Rajiv who was prescribed his first pair of glasses. His mom knew his interaction in class was being affected due to poor vision, but she was unable to take time off work to get him an eye exam. Yensi’s parents don’t have insurance and couldn’t afford eye care, but through the program, Yensi received a referral for a free exam. Kimberly’s parents, who recently immigrated to the United States, didn’t feel safe seeking eye care for their second grader.

Thanks to Sight For Kids, Kimberly was prescribed her first pair of glasses in an environment where her family could feel safe and educated in their native language. Ruth’s family also recently immigrated. Diagnosed by the optometrist at the Sight for Kids screening, Ruth is back in class wearing glasses and keeping up with her classmates. “Many times, immigrant students do not have the access, ability, or insurance to cover vision exams and they struggle in school or socially,” says Ruth’s mother.

One clear way to help children thrive in school is to make sure they get an eye exam. Are you a parent or a caregiver? Schedule an eye exam for your little one today. To find an eye doctor near you, visit prioritizeyoureyes. com/eyeexam. Healthy vision is fundamental to overall health and educational success. Reducing inequities in eye care makes a huge impact for individuals, families and communities. (StatePoint)