Federal spending on children's health increased greatly over the past 50 years, although it remained a modest 10 percent of total health spending in 2010. The largest program in the children's health budget, Medicaid, accounted for $74 billion and 85 percent of all federal spending on children's health in 2010. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) included provisions that will increase health insurance coverage for both children and their parents. However, the magnitude of the estimated impact of the ACA on children's coverage depends heavily on the continuation of current Medicaid and CHIP coverage for children.

Click here for more on the Kids' Share project and a full listing of Kids' Share publications.