Baldwin Pushes for Action on Lead Poisoning
Urges Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to improve lead screening data.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin is joining 16 Senate colleagues in calling on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to tackle the looming issue of childhood lead exposure. The Senators sent a letter to Sema Verma, administrator for CMS, calling for renewed efforts to address issues in lead screening data.
Current federal law requires lead screenings as “appropriate for age and risk factors,” during the enrollment process for Medicaid. Sen. Baldwin and her colleagues, however, feel screenings at 12 months and 24 months of age are not enough.
“Childhood lead exposure remains a serious public health challenge for communities across the country,” the Senators wrote. “With Medicaid serving as an essential health coverage source for the nation’s children, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services plays a critical role in the prevention, screening, and treatment of children affected by lead exposure.”
The letter posed seven questions to CMS revolving around exactly what it is doing, or plans to do, in order to improve lead screening data.
Lead exposure in children remains a key concern for families both in urban and rural parts of Wisconsin. Residents in Milwaukee have implored city officials to fund lead lateral replacement programs, sometimes to little effect. Nevertheless, the state legislature continues to explore ways to mitigate water pollution and contamination. Gov. Tony Evers declared 2019 the Year Of Clean Drinking Water in the state, and his administration has drafted new policies to safeguard clean water.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also recently updated its rules for lead and copper contamination in water. Although advocates say the rule change was decades in the making and an important step forward, it still may not go far enough.
Childhood lead poisoning can lead to a variety of physical and psychological effects, including learning difficulties, behavioral disorders and poor physical health. The Department of Natural Resources estimates that it would cost $2 billion to replace Wisconsin’s 200,000 lead service lines.
“We write to receive an update on the steps CMS is taking to address demonstrated gaps in data pertaining to blood lead level screenings,” the Senators wrote. The legislators “urge CMS to renew its commitment to ensuring appropriate lead screening for children at risk of lead exposure.” The senators have given CMS until November 30 to respond to their letter.
Reprinted with permission of Wisconsin Examiner.
More about the Lead Crisis
- DNR Says Wisconsin Could Meet New Rule To Replace All Lead Pipes in 10 Years - Trevor Hook - Oct 12th, 2024
- Biden Announces New Funds, Deadline For Lead Pipe Replacement - Sophie Bolich - Oct 8th, 2024
- Biden-Harris Administration Issues Final Rule Requiring Replacement of Lead Pipes Within 10 Years, Announces Funding to Provide Clean Water to Schools and Homes - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Oct 8th, 2024
- City Hall: Ahead of Biden Visit, Council, DPW Officials Question Efficacy of Replacing Lead Pipes - Jeramey Jannene - Oct 7th, 2024
- Baldwin Delivers Nearly $13 Million for Milwaukee and Kenosha to Remove Dangerous Lead Paint - U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin - Oct 7th, 2024
- Baldwin Delivers $850,000 to Reduce Lead in Schools and Childcare Facilities Throughout Wisconsin - U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin - Aug 29th, 2024
- Baldwin Delivers Over $83 Million to Replace Lead Pipes, Expand Access to Safe Drinking Water - U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin - May 2nd, 2024
- Congresswoman Gwen Moore Statement on Milwaukee Designation as Workforce Hub - U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore - Apr 26th, 2024
- Biden Announces Milwaukee As New “Workforce Hub” For Lead Pipe Removal - Jeramey Jannene - Apr 25th, 2024
- Senator Baldwin Delivers Nearly $2 Million to Keep Wausau Families Safe from Lead Contamination - U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin - Apr 12th, 2024
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