Low-income Arizona families in need of affordable health insurance for their children can begin receiving coverage in September under a new plan offering relief for the working poor.

In my five decades of providing medical care to Arizona children, I have realized that Medicaid (AHCCCS) and KidsCare (Arizona’s version of a Children’s Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP) are critical for low-income families. KidsCare has been frozen since 2010, and the Legislature now has the opportunity to include lifting the freeze in their budget negotiations, while the federal government picks up the tab.

The Arizona Legislature has taken the first step to repeal cuts to health care programs in order to comply with the federal health care law and avoid losing nearly $8 billion in federal funding.