1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

I urge you to zealously guard the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid funds to protect lead-poisoned children like mine. My 19mo old triplets were diagnosed with lead poisoning by my old Detroit home in 2024. This has led to a variety of health and development struggles, but thanks to a grant through CHIP my family is in process of remediating the lead in our home to avoid any more exposures and potentially lifelong harm. My triplets are not unique in their lead poisoning. Michigan ranks one of the highest in the nation for lead poisoning among our children. In Michigan, 78% of tested children had measurable lead in their blood. Even microscopic exposure (https://annarborfamily.com/feature/featured/healthy-kids/lead-poisoning-there-is-no-safe-level/) risks a host of longterm health effects. Children are far more affected by lead (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5528905/) than adults are, and ages 0-6 is the most vulnerable. But if CHIP funding is slashed, my family will not be able to afford to remediate our home. My triplets will continue to be exposed to a dangerous neurotoxin. If Medicaid funding is cut, my triplets won’t be able to see the doctors and teachers that are ensuring they heal and get back on track developmentally. Even if caring for our children and protecting them from lead poisoning isn’t enough, funding CHIP for lead remediation is simply good economics— Multiple estimates, such as one done by the Ecology Center, say that remediating lead for our nation’s children would pay for itself in just a few years. In the Great Lakes states alone, the cost of lead exposure in total childhood economic burden is $22.9 billion. This includes costs of reduced lifetime productivity; increased healthcare, education, juvenile and adult crime, and social assistance spending; and early death. A $600 million investment in lead remediation would reduce the childhood lead poisoning by 70% while paying for itself in 3 years and returning taxpayer investment in 7-8 years. As you move forward with the budget, I entreat you to protect my c hildren’s very wellbeing and lives, and the lives of thousands of others just like them. Don’t cut funding for CHIP. Don’t cut funding for Medicaid.