Looming Medicaid cuts, low test scores imperil NJ kids, report says

While children’s well-being has made gains in the state, a report from Advocates for Children of New Jersey outlines the risks posed to nearly 860,000 youth who rely on NJ FamilyCare, the state’s public health insurance program. Looming federal cuts to Medicaid and other essential services would devastate programs that support healthy development, the Kids Count report says.

The Advocates for Children data provide 63 measures of child well-being across all 21 counties in areas such as demographics, family economic security, health, protection and education. Health care and access to preventative services are critical to children’s wellbeing, the group says.

“We’re more concerned about a drop-off,” Mary Coogan, the group’s president and chief executive officer, said in a recent interview with NJ Spotlight News. “In some counties, the uninsured rate is starting to creep up.”

Coogan also pointed to anecdotal evidence of families that may include an undocumented person who has withdrawn from programs like NJ FamilyCare.

“A child, even if they’re undocumented, can still enroll in FamilyCare. It’s covered by state dollars — as long as the family household meets the income eligibility requirement,” Coogan said.

Early education is another major measure included in the report. Many students continue to lag behind in literacy and mathematics. Among third-graders taking the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments in the 2023-24 school year, 44% met or exceeded expectations for English language arts and 48% did for mathematics.

“Kids are hesitant, they’re overly anxious and they’re not wanting to go to school,” said Coogan. “If they’re not in school, they’re not going to learn.”

The Kids Count report also shows racial disparities persist in maternal and infant health outcomes. Though the state has made strides with programs like Nurture NJ to improve maternal health care, namely for Black women and pregnant people, inequities remain. The advocacy group considered a number of possible improvements to maternal and overall health in its research.

“Having a baby takes a toll on your health,” Coogan said. “And maybe if women were healthier when they became pregnant, you wouldn’t see so many problems at birth.”