Why Andy Kim's MediKids sparks a Medicaid wealth debate
A Washington Post editorial argues Sen. Andy Kim's MediKids idea is misguided because it would expand Medicaid-style coverage to every American through age 26—including children from wealthy households—while the safety net already struggles to serve the poorest kids, potentially diverting resources from those who need help most.
Key Takeaways
- Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) unveiled MediKids to automatically enroll children at birth, with eligibility through age 26.
- The Washington Post frames the plan as expanding Medicaid to the wealthy and warns it could divert help from poor kids.
- Kim cites roughly 4.5 million uninsured children and about 23 million underinsured kids.
- Families could opt out; Kim calls MediKids a steppingstone toward universal health care.
- Kim said the proposal likely must wait until Democrats again hold the White House.
What did Andy Kim propose with MediKids?
According to The Hill, Sen. Andy Kim unveiled the MediKids Act on July 21, 2026. The bill would automatically enroll every child at birth and keep eligibility in place until age 26.
It would also cover 100 percent of the federal medical assistance percentage for that group. Democratic Sens. Alex Padilla of California, Cory Booker of New Jersey, and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois are co-sponsors.
Kim told reporters he has thought about the idea since his son's birth in 2017, when doctors warned of possible serious complications. His child is now 9 and thriving, he said.
Why is the Washington Post calling MediKids a folly?
In a July 26, 2026, Washington Post editorial titled “The folly of expanding Medicaid to the wealthy,” the paper says Kim wants taxpayers to pay for everyone's health care until age 26.
The editorial's opening argument is blunt: Medicaid is already failing to deliver comprehensive care for the country's poorest children, yet Senate Democrats want to stretch the safety-net program to cover every kid in America through age 26.
That critique matters for net worth and wealth debates because universal enrollment would open a program built for low-income families to children in high-income households as well.
How does Kim justify expanding coverage to every child?
Kim pointed to rising childhood uninsurance, which The Hill reported climbed from 5.1 percent to 6 percent between 2022 and 2024—the highest level in a decade.
“There are about 4.5 million kids in this country that do not have health care,” Kim said, adding that one in three children are underinsured—about 23 million kids whose coverage does not meet their needs.
He argued Democrats must fill an “idea vacuum” with their own solutions while opposing Trump administration actions. In his vision, MediKids would not be mandatory: families could opt out if they wish.
Kim also described the proposal as a steppingstone toward universal health care and said conversations with Republicans were only just beginning. Even so, he acknowledged the bill will likely have to wait until Democrats regain the White House.
The clash is now clear. Kim sells MediKids as a guarantee for kids falling through coverage cracks. The Post warns that stretching Medicaid to the wealthy first risks shortchanging the children the program was meant to protect.