The massive cut to Medi-Cal, which now serves one-third of Californians, would require the program to be completely dismantled and rebuilt. L.A. County, home to 1 of every 20 Medicaid recipients in the nation, will be “ground zero,” says Supervisor Sheila Kuehl.
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Last week began with House GOP leaders unveiling their plan – the American Health Care Act – to replace the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). LA Best Babies Network is not a political advocacy organization, so we’re not urging you to support or oppose legislation. But, because the Family Strengthening Network (Welcome Baby and its partner home visiting programs in Los Angeles County) helps families navigate the vicissitudes of insurance coverage, we wanted to provide a brief update.
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“Although 65 percent of California’s children ages birth to three have one or more risk factors indicating that they could greatly benefit from home visitation, home visiting programs reach only 3 percent of all families with young children.” In their motion to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Janice Hahn cite this statistic.
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Research shows that talking, reading, and singing to babies stimulates brain development. As Duke University’s Catherine E. Laing explains, the way we talk makes a difference too.
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Last week we posted a treasure trove of resources for health screening of infants and toddlers. But we would be remiss if we didn’t mention Help Me Grow-LA, an initiative launched in May by First 5 LA and community partners to boost developmental screening rates in L.A. County.
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Full Medi-Cal coverage is now available to all children of low-income families in California, regardless of immigration status. Get resources to help families enroll their kids, and get the latest numbers on health-care coverage since the new law took effect in May.
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August is all about breastfeeding awareness. Every year the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee declares it National Breastfeeding Month (#NBM16). The first week (August 1-7) is World Breastfeeding Week and August 25-31 is Black Breastfeeding Week. Here are some resources and the latest related research.
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It’s Father’s Day this weekend, so we’ve rounded up a few resources you can use (all year long) to emphasize the importance of fatherhood.
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Lynn Kersey has some advice for pregnant women who bought health insurance policies from Covered California and want to keep them: Don’t report your pregnancy to the agency.
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To celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Learn the Signs. Act Early. program, the CDC has posted new resources and training — perfect for home visitors and families with little ones. And there’s plenty more where these came from …
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