A new report underscores the vulnerability of children’s health in Bucks County and across the state as looming, draconian cuts to Medicaid and SNAP have gained the support of Republican lawmakers, including Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick.
According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual Kids Count Data Book, released on Monday, Pennsylvania ranks 20th in the country for children’s health. But the metrics may nosedive here and across the country if the GOP budget bill passes the U.S. Senate.
Locally, State Senator Steve Santarsiero has one very important thing in common with Fitzpatrick – the children in Bucks County who rely on their wisdom and judgement when representing the needs of these constituents who cannot yet vote.
According to the 2025 Kids Count Data Book, both these men represent tens of thousands of those young people who are now at risk.
Even as Fitzpatrick voted in support of One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, cutting funding that affects every category profiled in the Kids Count Data Book, Santarsiero chose Monday’s release of the study as an opportunity to push back, telling the Bucks County Beacon that, “Cuts to federal programs like SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamps) and Medicaid would be devastating to the health and wellbeing of some of the most vulnerable children and families in our community.”
The Kids Count Data Book places Pennsylvania 20th in the country for children’s health. The juvenile death rate increased slightly, to 24 from 23 per 100,000.
The number of children uninsured in the commonwealth held steady at a low five percent – hovering at 147,000 – mostly because of gains made since 2015 and Medicaid expansion made possible through the Affordable Care Act.
Santarsiero seized on the numbers highlighted in the study. Many dependent children are at risk of losing access to health care if a majority in the U.S. Senate votes the way Fitzpatrick did.
“In Bucks County alone, nearly 47,000 children depend on Medicaid for health care, providing critical services to already underserved communities,” said Santarsiero. “Tax cuts for some of the wealthiest Americans should not be funded on the backs of needy children.”
Kari King, President and CEO of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children (PPC) agrees with Santarsiero’s read of the 2025 Kids Count Data Book. Her organization helped aggregate the data for PA.
While King is relieved that Pennsylvania remains in the top 40 percent of states, she sees room for growth. “We are always kind of hovering in the middle. Typically, we’ve been in kind of the late teens early 20s. So, we’re stagnant in terms of any progress being made.”
But since the blizzard of executive orders regarding housing and education, as well as pending congressional cuts that together eliminate funding for nearly every metric of child wellbeing, stagnation is the least of King’s worries. “We’re really lifting-up the concern that PPC has with changes that are being considered in Congress. We’re worried our ranking will just continue to fall if legislation is passed that would limit access to Medicaid for kids.”
Specifically, for youngsters in Bucks County, King says, “About a third of the child population relies on Medicaid in his [Fitzpatrick’s] district… what’s being considered in terms of cost cutting measures, if you will, for Medicaid… and especially for the child population, well, it’s health insurance.” Health insurance that provides for, among other things, well-child checkups, vision care, and dental care.
“The states are going to have to make difficult decisions, and it could impact the ability for kids to receive their insurance through the program,” warns King.
King worries that folks may discount the importance of Medicaid access to health care. “That health insurance coverage gets parents the ability to see a pediatrician [and] those really critical screenings. You know everything from blood lead tests to critical immunizations.” She offered several examples, including, “When a child is developing, making sure [parents] know of speech delays that could benefit from early intervention. Having a healthy childhood and, you know, transitioning into healthy adulthood, too.”
Out of an abundance of concern for Pennsylvania Medicaid recipients, Secretary of Human Services Valerie A. Arkoosh, MD, MPH, hosted a press conference at Union Community Care in Lancaster. In response to questions about the Kids Count study, Bucks County native Bri Kozior, Director of Communications at Union Community Care, explained why kids need Medicaid.
“Health care access for kids is not a luxury – it’s a foundational right.”
Kozior says that when economically disadvantaged families – or kids with chronic illness or disability – turn to Medicaid, the benefits are enormous. “Access to health care isn’t just about treating illness; it’s about nurturing potential. When children have regular check-ups, timely vaccinations, and a trusted Care Team, they are healthier, more focused in school, and better equipped to grow into strong, vibrant adults who can contribute to their families, workplaces, and communities.”
Teresa Rinehart, a Licensed Professional Counselor who works almost exclusively with children, sees some young people who get their insurance through Medicaid. She fears for her clients and others at risk of losing access to therapy. “We deal with stress daily and most of us were not taught to care for ourselves in a healthy and compassionate way. Therapy gives kids healthy tools to cope with stress and pain in their lives.”
Rinehart, an LGBTQIA affirming therapist, talks with kids from a variety of backgrounds, dealing with a myriad of issues. “Therapy gives them a private place, a confidential place to talk about things that maybe they’re not comfortable talking about with their family.”
Rinehart adds that what’s ordinarily difficult for adults can be nearly unmanageable for a child. “For example, divorce. How is a kid supposed to work through two parents that are fighting? These kids are working through adult problems when they should just be kids.”
None of this should be a surprise to Representative Fitzpatrick. King says that his office has been responsive to PPC over the years and guesses that his recent vote to cut Medicaid might have been done “along party lines.”
King also thinks persons living in PA’s first congressional district need to reach back out to his office. She sees a chance for the congressman to change his position when the U.S. Senate amends the bill, necessitating that it return to the House of Representatives for another vote.
“Our attention will continue to be on house members, including Congressman Fitzpatrick, and again just making sure that he understands the impact, especially to kids,” said King.
When asked what the impact of lost Medicaid benefits could be, Rinehart answered, “What’s the potential for harm if kids lose access to mental health care? Bullying, panic attacks, lower self-esteem, increased anxiety.” And the biggest risk for her patients? “Dying by suicide. Kids can’t just walk it off. They could kill themselves.”
