New Jersey senator Andy Kim introduced legislation Tuesday that would automatically enroll every child born in the United States into a federally funded health care program, an effort he’s calling the MediKids Act.
Kim’s fellow New Jersey senator, Cory Booker, is one of three original co-sponsors, along with Sens. Alex Padilla of California and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, according to NOTUS.
Read the full bill text here.
How the Plan Would Work
The MediKids Act would enroll children automatically at birth into a section of Medicaid already used to cover kids from lower-income families, and keep them eligible until age 26 — regardless of income, immigration status, or health condition, according to Kim’s office. The federal government would cover 100 percent of the cost for that age group, The Hill reported.
Families wouldn’t be required to use it. They could opt for private insurance instead, similar to how seniors can choose Medicare Advantage plans over traditional Medicare once they turn 65.
Kim has described the idea as creating “bookends” around the years he considers most critical—birth to 25, and 65 until death—with federally guaranteed coverage on both ends of that spectrum.
The bill doesn’t yet have a full cost estimate.
Why Kim Is Pushing It
Kim looked to a personal anecdote for inspiration, recalling a time in 2017 when his son was born with a potentially serious medical condition. Now 9 years old, the boy is healthy.
“That anxiety that I felt as a parent was gut-wrenching,” Kim said. “I don’t believe that there’s anything more fearful, parents are more scared of, than their kid being sick.”
About 4.4 million children in the U.S.—roughly 6 percent of kids under 18—have no health insurance at all, according to Kim’s office. Childhood uninsurance rates have climbed from 5.1 percent to 6 percent between 2022 and 2024, the highest level in a decade, per Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families. Another 23 million children are underinsured, Kim said.
“There’s overwhelming support from the American people for ideas like this, and there’s a hunger for ideas right now,” Kim told reporters, adding that Democrats can’t afford to leave an “idea vacuum” while opposing the Trump administration.
A Long-Term Bet
Kim has framed MediKids as part of a broader push toward universal health care rather than a quick legislative win—a policy that an estimated 66 percent of Americans support. He’s acknowledged the bill will likely need a Democratic White House to advance.
“This is my life’s work,” Kim told NOTUS.
Conversations with Republicans on the bill are just getting started, Kim said. The proposal lands amid a broader Democratic debate over health care direction since enhanced ACA tax credits expired last year, with outside groups floating competing ideas like “Medicare by Choice” and nonprofit public options, per The Hill.
It’s a bold proposal, but for Kim, that seems to be the point. “Millions of children are falling through the cracks of our healthcare system, and we are the only ones who can stand up and help,” Kim said in a statement. “I built MediKids to be a step we can take right now to guarantee every single child in the United States the care they need, when they need it. No kid should go without care in our country.”
With Democrats eyeing a chance to flip both chambers of Congress in the fall, the idea to reshape healthcare comes at a crucial time.
Peter Candia is the Food + Drink Editor at New Jersey Digest. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Peter found a passion for writing midway through school and never looked back. He is a former line cook, server and bartender at top-rated restaurants in the tri-state area. In addition to food, Peter enjoys politics, music, sports and anything New Jersey.
