Representatives Tran, Castor Introduce Legislation to Defend Access to Children’s Health Care
Washington, DC – U.S. Representatives Derek Tran (CA-45) and Kathy Castor (FL-14) introduced legislation to restore continuous access to health care coverage for eligible children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP. Earlier this month, Congressional Republicans passed into law the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill”, which included a provision that will allow states to impose arbitrary lock-out periods, and annual and lifetime dollar limits. The Keep Kids Covered Act would undo this misguided policy by leaving in place a current law providing continuous coverage to 17 million eligible children since 2024.
"As a father of young kids, I know how critical adequate health care is for our children to grow and thrive. No child should be denied access to medical treatment because President Trump and Congressional Republicans wanted to give their billionaire friends a tax break,” said Representative Tran. “I’m proud to join Representative Castor in introducing the Keep Kids Covered Act to bring down costs for hard-working families and ensure kids have access to the lifesaving care they need and deserve.”
Over 37 million children rely on Medicaid and CHIP across the country. Since 2024, continuous eligibility (CE) has required states to cover children in CHIP and Medicaid for a defined period of time – without coverage lapse – regardless of changes in circumstances. This defined period requires 12 months of continuous coverage for children until age 6 and 24 months for children age 6 to 19. Access to consistent, high-quality coverage is crucial for children’s development and well-being, particularly in their early years, enabling them to grow into healthy and productive adults. Not only does CE improve short- and long-term health coverage, it lowers costs and reduces financial barriers to care. Too many children who are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP have lost coverage for administrative reasons such as missing paperwork. The bill would also ensure that former foster youth have CE until age 26, as the Affordable Care Act intended.
“In Florida and across the country, children pay the price when politicians rip health coverage away and create bureaucratic barriers to care,” said Representative Castor. “The Keep Kids Covered Act will ensure eligible kids across the country can access reliable, stable Medicaid and CHIP coverage so they can live happy, healthy lives. Research has shown that children with health coverage do better in school and grow into more successful adults, lowering costs for everyone. While Congressional Republicans and President Trump have spent the past few months making it more difficult and expensive for kids to access critical health coverage, Democrats are fighting to protect our kids and their future. I’m grateful to my colleagues Rep. Derek Tran and Senator Michael Bennet, as well as the child and family advocates, for their partnership and support of this critical legislation.”
“In the face of Republicans’ biggest attack on health care access yet, I’m grateful to Rep. Castor for her persistence in protecting health care for our nation’s children,” said Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06). “As the Big Ugly Bill is set to take health care away from millions of Americans, Democrats will keep fighting to minimize coverage gaps, burdensome paperwork requirements, and price hikes for families. The Keep Kids Covered Act is a critical tool in this fight against Republican cuts and will ensure young children continue to have health care coverage.”
Endorsing organizations include: American Academy of Pediatrics, American Nurses Association, American Psychiatric Association, Association for Community Affiliated Plans, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, BayCare Health System—St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, Child Welfare League of America, Children’s Defense Fund, Children’s Hospitals Association, Colorado Children’s Campaign, Families USA, First Focus Campaign for Children, Florida Health Justice Project, Florida Policy Institute, Florida Voices for Health, March of Dimes, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, National Foster Youth Institute, National League for Nursing, Nemour Children’s Health, Primary Development Corporation, Protect Our Care, The Center for Law and Social Policy, UnidosUS, ZERO TO THREE.
The full bill text of the legislation can be viewed here.
A one-pager about the legislation is available here.
Representative Tran has consistently rejected attempts to cut funding for Medicaid, including by voting against the Republican budget proposal that eliminates billions in funding for critical services. He also signed a discharge petition in the House to bring H.R. 2753, the Hands Off Medicaid and SNAP Act, to the House floor for a vote. In an effort to address the affordability crisis facing families across the country, Representative Tran recently helped launch the Lowering Costs Caucus alongside Representatives Hillary Scholten (MI-03) and Greg Landsman (OH-01). The caucus is focused on bringing down everyday costs for hard-working Americans and delivering meaningful economic relief for working families. Tran also serves on the New Democrat Coalition’s Economic Growth and Cost of Living Working Group and the Congressional Dads Caucus, which aims to ease the cost burden on working families by advocating for the expanded child tax credit, affordable child care, and paid family leave.
###
Congressman Derek Tran represents California’s 45th Congressional District. Serving his first term in Congress, Congressman Tran is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and House Small Business Committee, where he is Ranking Member of the Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations Subcommittee. Congressman Tran is the son of Vietnamese refugees, a Veteran, and fought for consumers as an attorney before entering Congress.