The Journal Gazette

Medicaid issues might not seem to fall under the purview of the state superintendent of public instruction, but Jennifer McCormick knows the vital link between the federal health care program and Indiana schools. That’s why she sent a letter to each member of the state’s congressional delegation, urging them to protect Medicaid funding.

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Medicaid cuts might seem like an effective way to reduce the federal budget deficit, but the consequences will ultimately be more costly. Sick children miss more school, notes Elisabeth Wright Burak, senior program director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. Research shows they demonstrate weaker social skills in kindergarten, post lower reading scores in third grade and drop out of school at a higher rate.

“One of the things that is new in the last few years is some longitudinal research which … has shown that kids who receive Medicaid are more likely to graduate from high school, more likely to graduate from college and earn higher wages as adults,” Wright Burak said.

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