Michael Bennet introduces bill to ensure continuous Medicaid coverage for children amid impending federal cuts 

As Democrats and health care leaders brace for Medicaid cuts in Congressional Republicans’ budget law to hit families, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet is proposing legislation to help blunt the impact on children. 

The Keep Kids Covered Act would provide continuous, uninterrupted Medicaid coverage for enrolled children up to the age of 6, meaning families would not have to periodically re-enroll their children. 

It would also provide 24 months of continuous coverage for people aged 6 to 19. Current law provides up to 12 months of coverage before enrollment must be renewed. 

A version of the bill was previously introduced last September. Along with Bennet, a Democrat from Colorado, this year’s legislation is also sponsored in the House by Democratic Reps. Kathy Castor of Florida and Derek Tran of California. 

The proposal comes on the heels of Republicans’ “one big, beautiful bill,” which was signed into law on July 4 by President Donald Trump, who had pushed for the bill in order to enact much of his domestic policy agenda. 

Among the law’s many provisions are major changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act that center around increased paperwork and renewal periods, eligibility restrictions, and fewer federal subsidies. 

The result, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, will be a roughly $1 trillion cut in federal health care spending over the next decade, which the office estimates could lead to as many as 17 million people losing their health insurance. 

In a prepared statement on Tuesday, Bennet said the new law “puts millions of children at risk of losing their health care,” adding that his bill “safeguards against lapses in health insurance coverage for kids during the most important stages of their development.”

While the budget law primarily restricts Medicaid eligibility for adults aged 19 to 64 by imposing new work requirements and a biannual renewal period, it also shifts more Medicaid costs to states. Most of those changes are set to go into effect at the end of 2026. 

Colorado lawmakers have said the changes could cost the state more than $1 billion every year over the next decade, which could force them to slash spending on a litany of programs in order to maintain a balanced state budget. 

Health care advocates, who largely opposed the health care changes in the Republicans’ budget law, worry cuts could trickle down to children who would be kicked off their Medicaid insurance. They warn that rural communities in Colorado could be especially impacted. 

Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes much of the Western Slope and southern Colorado, has the highest rate of Medicaid recipients, with 31% of the district’s population enrolled. 

At the same time, the Interstate 70 mountain corridor, which includes rural resort communities in Garfield, Pitkin, Eagle, Summit and Grand counties, has the highest uninsured rate for health care coverage in the state. 

Advocates say that whenever seismic changes are made to social service programs, such as new paperwork requirements, it usually leads to a drop in enrollment, even for people who are eligible. Many point to the 2023 “Medicaid Unwind” period, when Congress ended automatic re-enrollment that was part of its COVID-19 response. 

More than 500,000 Coloradans, including over 100,000 children, lost enrollment during that period. Approximately 1.2 million adults and nearly half a million children in Colorado are on Medicaid, representing more than 1 in 5 people in the state. 

Several states, including Colorado, have waivers in place that allow them to extend and expand continuous Medicaid coverage for certain populations. Colorado’s current waiver provides continuous, uninterrupted coverage for children through the age of 3. 

That policy was slated to be renewed next year, but the Trump administration earlier this month said it would not renew waivers that allow for continuous coverage beyond 12 months. 

In a prepared statement, Colorado Hospital Association President and CEO Jeff Tieman said, “Colorado hospitals strongly support efforts to ensure children have uninterrupted access to health coverage, which is essential to their lifelong health and well-being,” at a time when “coverage disruptions and policy threats put families at risk.”

Bennet’s bill has endorsements from a broad swath of health care and advocacy groups, including the Colorado Hospital Association, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Colorado Children’s Campaign as well as national entities like the American Nurses Association, American Psychiatric Association and the Children’s Hospitals Association.

Republicans currently maintain a 219-212 majority in the House and a 53-47 majority in the Senate, meaning Bennet’s bill would need to garner Republican support to pass in both chambers.