It's a working national health programme. Expanding it makes more sense than starting anew. My proposal is to expand its mandate to covering pregnant mothers and children directly.
The article says "many uninsured children are eligible for Medicaid," but it doesn't say all. Do you know what constitutes the gap?
My issue with expanding Medicaid is it's run by the states. That limits the opportunities for cost and messaging savings.
Some of it is families in the gap where they can't get employment that pays fully for family healthcare, but make too much to qualify for CHIP/Medicaid.
Some will have been disqualified for other reasons, perhaps.
Do we know what fraction? If most American children have access to healthcare–a claim I'm sceptical of–then I'm not seeing an urgent problem that has to be solved by the healthcare system.
Everyone in the USA has access to emergency care and stabilization, the practical results of which are that for emergencies, you get helped, payment is worked out later.
If you have no problem with having no intention of paying, the system absorbs the cost.
No they don't, they just don't address it. Neither does your comment.
And sure, give parents a total opt out when it comes to vaccination. Just because they're dumbfucks doesn't mean their kid need run a fever into brain-cooking temperatures out of fear of an ER bill.