Annual Report on Access to and Utilization of Health Care for Children and Youth in the United States–1999

Elimination of racial and ethnic disparities in health has become a major national goal. The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) has the potential to reduce disparities among the children who enroll if they exhibit the same disparities that have been documented in previous studies of low-income children. To determine the potential impact of SCHIP on racial and ethnic disparities, it is critical to assess baseline levels of health disparities among children enrolling in SCHIP. To use data from the Child Health Insurance Research Initiative (CHIRI) to 1) describe the sociodemographic profile of new enrollees in SCHIP in Alabama, Florida, Kansas, and New York; 2) determine if there were differences in health insurance and health care experiences among white, black, and Hispanic SCHIP enrollees before enrollment in SCHIP; and 3) explore whether race or ethnicity, controlled for other factors, affected pre-SCHIP access to health coverage and health care. SCHIP programs in Alabama, Florida, Kansas, and New York, which together include 26% of SCHIP enrollees nationwide. Telephone interview (mailed survey in Alabama) about the child's health, health insurance, and health care experiences conducted shortly after SCHIP enrollment to assess experience during the time period before SCHIP. New SCHIP enrollees (0-17.9 years old in Alabama, Kansas, and New York and 11.5-17.9 years old in Florida). Stratified sampling was performed in Kansas and New York, with results weighted to reflect statewide populations of new SCHIP enrollees. Sociodemographic characteristics including income, education, employment, and other characteristics of the child and the family, race and ethnicity (white non-Hispanic, black non-Hispanic, and Hispanic [any race]), prior health insurance, health care access and utilization, and health status. Bivariate analyses were used to compare baseline measures upon enrollment for white, black, and Hispanic SCHIP enrollees. Multivariate analyses were performed to assess health status and health care access measures (prior insurance, presence of a usual source of care (USC), and use of preventive care), controlling for demographic factors described above. Weighted analyses (where appropriate) were performed by using SPSS, STATA, or SUDAAN. Racial and ethnic composition varied across the SCHIP cohorts studied, with black and Hispanic children comprising the following proportion of enrollees, respectively: Alabama, 33% and <1%; Florida, 16% and 26%; Kansas, 12% and 15%; and New York, 24% and 36%. Black and Hispanic children were more likely to reside in single-parent and lower-income families. With some variation by state, children from minority groups were more likely to report poorer health status than were white children. Relative to white children, children from minority groups in Florida and New York were more likely to have been uninsured for the entire year before SCHIP enrollment. In all states, children from minority groups who had prior coverage were more likely to have previously been enrolled in Medicaid than in private health insurance and were less likely to have had employer-sponsored coverage compared with white children. Except in Alabama, there was a difference in having a USC, with children from minority groups less likely to have had a USC before SCHIP enrollment compared with white children. No consistent pattern of health care utilization before SCHIP was noted across states with respect to race or ethnicity. Findings from multivariate analyses, controlling for sociodemographic factors, generally confirmed that black and Hispanic children were more likely to have lacked insurance or a USC before enrollment in SCHIP and to have poorer health status compared with white children. SCHIP is enrolling substantial numbers of racial and ethnic minority children. There are baseline racial and ethnic disparities among new enrollees in SCHIP, with black and Hispanic children faring worse than white children on many sociodemographic and health system measures, and there are differences among states in the prevalence and magnitude of these disparities. After controlling for sociodemographic factors, these disparities persisted. IMPLICATIONS FOR MONITORING AND IMPROVING SCHIP: SCHIP has the potential to play a critical role in efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health among the children it serves. However, study findings indicate that programmatic efforts are necessary to ensure that disparities are not perpetuated. Program effectiveness and outcomes should be monitored by race and ethnicity to ensure equity in access, use, and outcomes across all racial and ethnic groups. Assessing the health characteristics and needs of new SCHIP enrollees can provide a benchmark for evaluating the program's impact on eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health and inform service delivery enhancements.

Background. Elimination of racial and ethnic disparities in health has become a major national goal. The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) has the potential to reduce disparities among the children who enroll if they exhibit the same disparities that have been documented in previous studies of low-income children. To determine the potential impact of SCHIP on racial and ethnic disparities, it is critical to assess baseline levels of health disparities among children enrolling in SCHIP.Objective. To use data from the Child Health Insurance Research Initiative (CHIRI) to 1) describe the sociodemographic profile of new enrollees in SCHIP in Alabama, Florida, Kansas, and New York; 2) determine if there were differences in health insurance and health care experiences among white, black, and Hispanic SCHIP enrollees before enrollment in SCHIP; and 3) explore whether race or ethnicity, controlled for other factors, affected pre-SCHIP access to health coverage and health care.Setting. SCHIP programs in Alabama, Florida, Kansas, and New York, which together include 26% of SCHIP enrollees nationwide.Design. Telephone interview (mailed survey in Alabama) about the child’s health, health insurance, and health care experiences conducted shortly after SCHIP enrollment to assess experience during the time period before SCHIP.Sample. New SCHIP enrollees (0–17.9 years old in Alabama, Kansas, and New York and 11.5–17.9 years old in Florida). Stratified sampling was performed in Kansas and New York, with results weighted to reflect statewide populations of new SCHIP enrollees.Measures. Sociodemographic characteristics including income, education, employment, and other characteristics of the child and the family, race and ethnicity (white non-Hispanic, black non-Hispanic, and Hispanic [any race]), prior health insurance, health care access and utilization, and health status.Analyses. Bivariate analyses were used to compare baseline measures upon enrollment for white, black, and Hispanic SCHIP enrollees. Multivariate analyses were performed to assess health status and health care access measures (prior insurance, presence of a usual source of care (USC), and use of preventive care), controlling for demographic factors described above. Weighted analyses (where appropriate) were performed by using SPSS, STATA, or SUDAAN.Results. Racial and ethnic composition varied across the SCHIP cohorts studied, with black and Hispanic children comprising the following proportion of enrollees, respectively: Alabama, 33% and &amp;lt;1%; Florida, 16% and 26%; Kansas, 12% and 15%; and New York, 24% and 36%. Black and Hispanic children were more likely to reside in single-parent and lower-income families. With some variation by state, children from minority groups were more likely to report poorer health status than were white children. Relative to white children, children from minority groups in Florida and New York were more likely to have been uninsured for the entire year before SCHIP enrollment. In all states, children from minority groups who had prior coverage were more likely to have previously been enrolled in Medicaid than in private health insurance and were less likely to have had employer-sponsored coverage compared with white children. Except in Alabama, there was a difference in having a USC, with children from minority groups less likely to have had a USC before SCHIP enrollment compared with white children. No consistent pattern of health care utilization before SCHIP was noted across states with respect to race or ethnicity. Findings from multivariate analyses, controlling for sociodemographic factors, generally confirmed that black and Hispanic children were more likely to have lacked insurance or a USC before enrollment in SCHIP and to have poorer health status compared with white children.Conclusions. SCHIP is enrolling substantial numbers of racial and ethnic minority children. There are baseline racial and ethnic disparities among new enrollees in SCHIP, with black and Hispanic children faring worse than white children on many sociodemographic and health system measures, and there are differences among states in the prevalence and magnitude of these disparities. After controlling for sociodemographic factors, these disparities persisted.Implications for Monitoring and Improving SCHIP. SCHIP has the potential to play a critical role in efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health among the children it serves. However, study findings indicate that programmatic efforts are necessary to ensure that disparities are not perpetuated. Program effectiveness and outcomes should be monitored by race and ethnicity to ensure equity in access, use, and outcomes across all racial and ethnic groups. Assessing the health characteristics and needs of new SCHIP enrollees can provide a benchmark for evaluating the program’s impact on eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health and inform service delivery enhancements.

This study estimated the rates of health insurance coverage in the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population with schizophrenia and assessed whether basic access to health care varied across health insurance categories. Data from the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey collected between 2002 and 2006 were used. The sample contained 328 records representing 493,006 noninstitutionalized civilian persons with schizophrenia. Eighty-seven percent had Medicaid or Medicare, 8% received care through the Veterans Health Administration, and 15% had private insurance for at least one day during the year. About 7% were uninsured all of the year. The uninsured tended to be male (92%), nonwhite (54%), and unmarried (97%), and 30% of the uninsured had not had a medical checkup in more than five years. Almost all U.S. adults with schizophrenia were found to receive government health insurance, yet a measurable minority remained uninsured. These national estimates highlight opportunities for improving health service delivery for this vulnerable population.

Who Is Paying the Price? Loss of Health Insurance Coverage Early in Psychosis

Children without Health Insurance

Racial/ethnic disparities are associated with lack of health insurance. Although the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) provides health insurance to low-income children, many of whom are members of racial/ethnic minority groups, little is known about whether SCHIP affects racial/ethnic disparities among children who enroll. The objectives of this study were to (1) describe demographic characteristics and previous health insurance experiences of SCHIP enrollees by race, (2) compare racial/ethnic disparities in medical care access, continuity, and quality before and during SCHIP, and (3) determine whether disparities before or during SCHIP are explained by sociodemographic and health system factors. Pre/post-parent telephone survey was conducted just after SCHIP enrollment and 1 year after enrollment of 2290 children who had an enrollment start date in New York State's SCHIP between November 2000 and March 2001, stratified by race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic). The main outcome measures were usual source of care (USC), preventive care use, unmet needs, patterns of USC use, and parent-rated quality of care before versus during SCHIP. Children were white (25%), black (31%), or Hispanic (44%); 62% were uninsured > or =12 months before SCHIP. Before SCHIP, a greater proportion of white children had a USC compared with black or Hispanic children (95%, 86%, and 81%, respectively). Nearly all children had a USC during SCHIP (98%, 95%, and 98%, respectively). Before SCHIP, black children had significantly greater levels of unmet need relative to white children (38% vs 27%), whereas white and Hispanic children did not differ significantly (27% vs 29%). During SCHIP, racial/ethnic disparities in unmet need were eliminated, with unmet need at 19% for all 3 racial/ethnic groups. Before SCHIP, more white children made all/most visits to their USC relative to black or Hispanic children (61%, 54%, and 34%, respectively); all improved during SCHIP with no remaining disparities (87%, 86%, and 92%, respectively). Parent-rated visit quality improved for all groups, but preexisting racial/ethnic disparities remained during SCHIP, with improved yet relatively lower levels of satisfaction among parents of Hispanic children. Sociodemographic and health system factors did not explain disparities in either period. Enrollment in SCHIP was associated with (1) improvement in access, continuity, and quality of care for all racial/ethnic groups and (2) reduction in preexisting racial/ethnic disparities in access, unmet need, and continuity of care. Racial/ethnic disparities in quality of care remained, despite improvements for all racial groups. Sociodemographic and health system factors did not add to the understanding of racial/ethnic disparities. SCHIP improves care for vulnerable children and reduces preexisting racial/ethnic disparities in health care.

Data from two waves of the Child-Mother module of the National Longitudinal Surveys are used to examine the medical care received by children. We compare those covered by Medicaid, by private health insurance and those with no insurance coverage at all. We find there are substantial differences in the impact of public and private health insurance and these effects also differ between blacks and whites. White children on Medicaid tend to have more doctor checkups than any other children and white children on Medicaid or a private insurance plan have a higher number of doctor visits for illness. In contrast, for black children, neither Medicaid nor private insurance coverage is associated with any advantage in terms of the number of doctor visits for illness. Furthermore, black children with private coverage are no more likely than those with no coverage to have doctor checkups; black Medicaid children are more likely than either group to have checkups although the gap is not precisely estimated. We exploit the longitudinal dimension of the data in order to take account of potential selection and thus include child specific fixed effects in the models. The results are robust to the inclusion of these controls for unobserved heterogeneity. They suggest that private and public health insurance mean different things to different children, and that national insurance coverage will not equalize utilization of care.

Despite the disturbing fact that approximately 9 million children in the United States lack insurance, without public programs such as Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), many millions more would be uninsured. Since 1965, Medicaid has provided states with funding and a framework to provide a comprehensive set of health services to needy children and adults. More recently, since SCHIP's implementation in 1997, states have had another tool at their disposal with which to simplify and expand children's coverage. Through state policy decisions, each state has created a unique configuration of services and populations. This article reviews the entire spectrum of coverage for children in the United States: private and public health insurance, and no health insurance. It places particular emphasis on the main features of Medicaid and SCHIP. The ways that these programs have influenced and benefited each other are also considered, as well as their comparative strengths and weaknesses. In addition, the article discusses innovations that have emerged as states have experimented with different ways to provide health coverage to children. It concludes by considering the implications of increasing fiscal pressures on programs, and the progress that states have made in coveting children. The Spectrum of Children's Health Coverage Children in the United States receive health coverage from a variety of sources. In general, coverage falls into one of five different categories. (1) As Figure 1 shows, the majority of children (51 million) have private health insurance. Another 18 million children are covered by the two major public health insurance programs: Medicaid (15 million) and SCHIP (3 million); meanwhile, 2 million children have some other form of health coverage, such as military health care or Medicare. (2) Despite the range of coverage options, approximately 9 million children remain uninsured. A range of factors contributes to this problem, including the ways in which programs are designed and implemented. Private Health Insurance In 2000, 51 million children in the United States had private health insurance coverage. (3) The majority (94%) obtained this coverage through their parents' employers. The remaining 6% were in families with individual health insurance policies. Most privately insured children were in families with incomes over 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL), or $36,200 for a family of four. In 2000, employer coverage cost $202 per month for an individual and $529 per month for a family. (4) While employers paid most of these premiums, employees paid an average of $54 per month for individual coverage and $180 per month for family coverage. (5) Three-quarters of private health insurance policies had deductibles, and more than one-half of the deductibles were greater than $150 per year. (6) Co-payments or $10 to $20 were typical for office visits. Private health insurance policies tend to cover physician services, hospital services, prescription drugs, and limit ed mental health and long-term care services. (7) Transportation, translation, and long-term behavioral health and physical health care services are not included in most private benefit packages. Almost all private health insurance is delivered through some form of managed care, with 38% of enrollees in preferred provider organizations, 28% in health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and 25% in point-of-service plans. Only 9% of policies are delivered through fee-for-service (FFS). More than one-third of all enrollees in employer-based coverage are in self-funded plans. (8) Medicaid About one-fifth of American children receive health coverage through Medicaid. (9) A federal program, Medicaid is jointly funded by the federal and state governments. Overall, the federal government pays 57% of Medicaid costs, and states pay 43%, though the actual matching rates range from 50% to 77%, according to each state's ability to contribute. …

This paper documents the changing picture of health insurance coverage for pregnant women in the four-year period following Medicaid expansion and assesses the extent to which the crowding-out phenomenon may have influenced the observed trends. The report documents the distribution of insurance coverage for pregnant women in the post-expansion period and describes demographic characteristics of women covered under Medicaid. It examines the rate at which Medicaid-eligible women enroll in the program and addresses the crowding-out issue by comparing the trend in employer-sponsored coverage among poor and near-poor pregnant women with those among nonpregnant women and men of similar ages and incomes.

Although psychological trauma affects millions of Americans, few studies have examined treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in real-world service environments. This study explored pharmacological treatment of PTSD among privately insured individuals. Data were from the MarketScan database, which compiles claims from private health insurance plans nationwide. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression were used to identify predictors of any use of a psychotropic medication and use of three medication classes: antidepressants, anxiolytics or sedative-hypnotics, and antipsychotics. Of 860,090 adult mental health care users in 2005, only 10,636 (1.2%) had a diagnosis of PTSD. Sixty percent of PTSD patients received any psychotropic medication: 74.3% of those received antidepressants, 73.7% received anxiolytics or sedative-hypnotics, and 21.3% received antipsychotics. Greater likelihood of any medication use was associated with greater use of mental health services and with several comorbid psychiatric disorders. Having a comorbid diagnosis of an indicated disorder was the most robust predictor of use of each of the three medication classes: major depressive disorder and dysthymia were most strongly associated with antidepressant use, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder were associated with antipsychotic use, and anxiety disorders were associated with use of anxiolytics or sedative-hypnotics. Psychotropic medications were frequently used in the treatment of PTSD among privately insured clients. Although use targeted specifically to PTSD and to comorbid disorders was common, substantial use appeared to be unrelated to diagnosis and may be targeted at specific symptoms rather than diagnosed illnesses. Further research is needed to determine symptom-specific responses to medications across diagnoses.

Who’s Enrolled in the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)? An Overview of Findings From the Child Health Insurance Research Initiative (CHIRI)

SY15-02: Health insurance and outcome disparities in adolescents and young adults with cancer

Annual Report on Health Care for Children and Youth in the United States: Trends in Racial/Ethnic, Income, and Insurance Disparities Over Time, 2002–2009

Contemporary data directly comparing experiences between individuals with public and private health insurance among the 5 major forms of coverage in the US are limited. To compare individual experiences related to access to care, costs of care, and reported satisfaction with care among the 5 major forms of health insurance coverage in the US. This survey study used data from the 2016-2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System on 149 290 individuals residing in 17 states and the District of Columbia, representing the experiences of more than 61 million US adults. Private (individually purchased and employer-sponsored coverage) or public health insurance (Medicare, Medicaid, and Veterans Health Administration [VHA] or military coverage). A pairwise multivariable analysis was performed, controlling for underlying health status of US adults covered by private and public health insurance plans, and responses to survey questions on access to care, costs of care, and reported satisfaction with care were compared. Estimates are weighted. A total of 149 290 individuals responded to the survey (mean [SD] age, 50.7 [0.2] years; 52.8% female). Among the respondents, most were covered by private insurance (95 396 [63.9%]), followed by Medicare (35 531 [23.8%]), Medicaid (13 286 [8.9%]), and VHA or military (5074 [3.4%]) coverage. Among those with private insurance, most (117 939 [79.0%]) had employer-sponsored coverage. Compared with those covered by Medicare, individuals with employer-sponsored insurance were less likely to report having a personal physician (odds ratio [OR], 0.52; 95% CI, 0.48-0.57) and were more likely to report instability in insurance coverage (OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.30-1.83), difficulty seeing a physician because of costs (OR, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.77-2.27), not taking medication because of costs (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.27-1.62), and having medical debt (OR, 2.92; 95% CI, 2.69-3.17). Compared with those covered by Medicare, individuals with employer-sponsored insurance were less satisfied with their care (OR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.56-0.64). Compared with individuals covered by Medicaid, those with employer-sponsored insurance were more likely to report having medical debt (OR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.83-2.32) and were less likely to report difficulty seeing a physician because of costs (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73-0.95) and not taking medications because of costs (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.66-0.92). No difference in satisfaction with care (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.87-1.06) was found between individuals with employer-sponsored private health insurance and those with Medicaid coverage. In this survey study, individuals with private insurance were more likely to report poor access to care, higher costs of care, and less satisfaction with care compared with individuals covered by publicly sponsored insurance programs. These findings suggest that public health insurance options may provide more cost-effective care than private options.

BackgroundChina is reforming and restructuring its health insurance system to achieve the goal of universal coverage. This study aims to understand the determinants of public, private and multiple insurance coverage among people of retirement-age in China.MethodsWe used data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey 2011 and 2013, a nationally representative survey of Chinese people aged 45 and over. Multinomial logit regression was performed to identify the determinants of public, private and multiple health insurance coverage. We also conducted logit regression to examine the association between public insurance coverage and demand for private insurance.ResultsIn 2013, 94.5% of this population had at least one type of public insurance, and 12.2% purchased private insurance. In general, we found that rural residents were less likely to be uninsured (Relative Risk Ratio (RRR) = 0.40, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.34–0.47) and were less likely to buy private insurance (RRR = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.16–0.31). But rural-to-urban migrants were more likely to be uninsured (RRR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.24–1.57). Public health insurance coverage may crowd out private insurance market (Odds Ratio = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.48–0.63), particularly among enrollees of Urban Resident Basic Medical Insurance. There exists a huge socioeconomic disparity in both public and private insurance coverage.ConclusionThe migrants, the poor and the vulnerable remained in the edge of the system. The growing private insurance market did not provide sufficient financial protection and did not cover the people with the greatest need. To achieve universal coverage and reduce socioeconomic disparity, China should integrate the urban and rural public insurance schemes across regions and remove the barriers for the middle-income and low-income to access private insurance.