The federal government’s pandemic-era prohibition against kicking people off Medicaid is ending, meaning that hundreds of thousands of people in Pennsylvania face losing the free health insurance in the coming year. The Harrisburg-based nonprofit Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children wants the Shapiro administration to guarantee that children up to 21 can keep their coverage for another […]
A report on Pennsylvania’s program for Women, Infants and Children finds there are barriers to participation for eligible families
From 2018 to 2022, there was a roughly 25% decline in participation in Pennsylvania’s WIC program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. WIC helps low income pregnant and breastfeeding parents and children under age five afford food. A report from Thriving PA looked into the barriers that are keeping people from participating […]
Oregon pioneers continuous Medicaid coverage for kids through their 6th birthday
Oregon is the first state in the nation that will allow kids with Medicaid coverage to remain continuously enrolled through their 6th birthday. This means low-income families won’t have to re-enroll every year to keep their kids insured. Gov. Kate Brown made the announcement Wednesday morning, alongside federal officials from the Centers for Medicare & […]
Early Learning PA: 2022-23 State Budget Grows Home Visiting, Child Care, and Pre-k
HARRISBURG, PA (July 8, 2022) – Today, the principal partners of Early Learning Pennsylvania (ELPA), a statewide coalition of advocates focused on supporting young Pennsylvanians from birth to age five, issued the following statements regarding the final 2022-23 Pennsylvania state budget. ELPA operates four issue-based advocacy campaigns: Pre-K for PA, Start Strong PA, Childhood Begins […]
POV: Overturning Roe v. Wade Will Worsen Health Inequities in All Reproductive Care
The recent national conversation has appropriately focused on the devastating impact of limiting or banning access to abortion care. Conservative estimates show that in the year following the overturning of Roe, at least 75,000 people who want, but cannot get, abortions will give birth instead. And these people are facing higher than ever—and rising—pregnancy-related mortality rates. […]
Thriving PA Statement About the Supreme Court’s Ruling Overturning Roe v. Wade
“Thriving PA supports access to comprehensive maternal health care services that meet individual physical and mental health needs. “Restricting access to reproductive health care will deepen inequities and increase maternal morbidity and mortality rates. Between 2013 and 2018, pregnancy-associated deaths increased by 21%, with Black women accounting for 23% of all pregnancy-associated deaths. “We will […]
‘Lead-Free Promise’ launches new Pa. initiative
PENNSYLVANIA (WHTM) — The Lead-Free Promise is launching the #paleadfree legislative promise initiative. It is a coalition of more than 53 organizations. Their goal is that each of the 203 state house members are committed to protecting Pennsylvania children by taking a stand against lead paint poisoning. The commonwealth continues to lead the nation in […]
Lancaster City Council hears update on lead hazard ordinance to improve protection for children
When: Lancaster City Council meeting, April 26, held in council chambers and streamed online. What happened: The city is updating the lead poisoning prevention and lead hazard control ordinance to strengthen the response time to children with elevated blood levels as well as expanding requirements for lead safety in homes built before 1978. The new ordinance will […]
Pennsylvanians on Medicaid risk losing health coverage when COVID emergency ends
For the past two years, people on Medicaid in Pennsylvania have been guaranteed continued health coverage — even if they’re no longer eligible. That’s because of a provision in the Families First Coronavirus Recovery Act, which requires that states keep everyone on Medicaid as long as the country is under a public health emergency. But that […]
Report: Black women account for 73% of Philadelphia’s pregnancy-related deaths
A report by the Philadelphia Maternal Mortality Review Committee has found that non-Hispanic Black women made up 43% of births in Philadelphia from 2013 to 2018 but accounted for 73% of the pregnancy-related deaths. The “Improving Outcomes: Maternal Mortality in Philadelphia” report indicates pregnancy-related deaths in the city from 2013 to 2018 was approximately 20 per […]