The federal Affordable Care Act was signed into law nearly two years ago. Since then, we at the Children’s Alliance, alongside health advocates across the state, have been working to make health care reform a reality in Washington.

In the next few weeks, health care leaders in the state House and Senate will take a crucial next step: They’ll set up ground rules for the state’s new Health Insurance Exchange.

A new year for Washington begins with a new milestone for kids. The last two weeks of 2011 brought our state tens of millions of federal dollars, positioning Washington as a national leader in both children’s health and early learning.

In fact, our state was just one of four in the country to win national competitions for health and early learning, along with Ohio, Maryland and North Carolina.

Figures released yesterday by the U.S. Census Bureau paint an alarming picture of poverty in America. But there’s a slice of positive news for Washington families: Our state remains a good place for kids to get access to the health care they need.

Washington state’s award-winning children’s health coverage plan, Apple Health for Kids, can take the credit.

Washington’s 1.7 million kids had no part in negotiating the deal passed by Congress Tuesday to raise the debt ceiling. But their futures will be affected by it, profoundly and perhaps disastrously.

In a very short time, Congress now stands to make decisions with far-reaching effects on programs used by the one million Washington households accessing food stamps; or the nearly 700,000 kids on Medicaid; or the 11,000 children enrolled in Head Start.

Consider it a matter of dollars and sense: Medicaid is not only vital for the health of low-income children, the disabled and the elderly, but it is playing a critical role in the economic recovery.

This session, state legislators maintained access to Apple Health for Kids for all children in Washington State. Every day, hundreds of thousands of Washington children can get dental, mental, and preventive health care. Apple Health for Kids ensures that more of Washington’s kids than ever before have the chance to grow and thrive here.

That success is again under attack, this time from the federal government.