Abstract
BackgroundOf the 4.8 million uninsured children in America, 62–72% are eligible for but not enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP. Not enough is known, however, about the impact of health insurance on outcomes and costs for previously uninsured children, which has never been examined prospectively.MethodsThis prospective observational study of uninsured Medicaid/CHIP-eligible minority children compared children obtaining coverage vs. those remaining uninsured. Subjects were recruited at 97 community sites, and 11 outcomes monitored monthly for 1 year.ResultsIn this sample of 237 children, those obtaining coverage were significantly (P < .05) less likely than the uninsured to have suboptimal health (27% vs. 46%); no PCP (7% vs. 40%); experienced never/sometimes getting immediate care from the PCP (7% vs. 40%); no usual source of preventive (1% vs. 20%) or sick (3% vs. 12%) care; and unmet medical (13% vs. 48%), preventive (6% vs. 50%), and dental (18% vs. 62%) care needs. The uninsured had higher out-of-pocket doctor-visit costs (mean = $70 vs. $29), and proportions of parents not recommending the child’s healthcare provider to friends (24% vs. 8%) and reporting the child’s health caused family financial problems (29% vs. 5%), and lower well-child-care-visit quality ratings. In bivariate analyses, older age, birth outside of the US, and lacking health insurance for >6 months at baseline were associated with remaining uninsured for the entire year. In multivariable analysis, children who had been uninsured for >6 months at baseline (odds ratio [OR], 3.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4–10.3) and African-American children (OR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.1–7.3) had significantly higher odds of remaining uninsured for the entire year. Insurance saved $2886/insured child/year, with mean healthcare costs = $5155/uninsured vs. $2269/insured child (P = .04).ConclusionsProviding health insurance to Medicaid/CHIP-eligible uninsured children improves health, healthcare access and quality, and parental satisfaction; reduces unmet needs and out-of-pocket costs; and saves $2886/insured child/year. African-American children and those who have been uninsured for >6 months are at greatest risk for remaining uninsured. Extrapolation of the savings realized by insuring uninsured, Medicaid/CHIP-eligible children suggests that America potentially could save $8.7–$10.1 billion annually by providing health insurance to all Medicaid/CHIP-eligible uninsured children.
Highlights
Of the 4.8 million uninsured children in America, 62–72% are eligible for but not enrolled in Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
One-quarter had health insurance, with over half covered by Medicaid and 43% covered by private insurance
52% of caregivers were aware that their uninsured child was Medicaid/CHIP eligible
Summary
Of the 4.8 million uninsured children in America, 62–72% are eligible for but not enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP. Prior studies focused solely on CHIP’s impact on previously uninsured children demonstrated improved care access, health status, preventive-care utilization, and immunization rates [9,10,11] These studies were predominantly conducted in the 1990s/ early 2000s, were pre/post telephone surveys without control groups, limited samples only to those who obtained insurance, and did not examine the impact of Medicaid. No prospective observational study (to our knowledge) has followed a cohort of Medicaid/CHIP-eligible uninsured children at baseline for 1 year to examine whether children who obtain coverage have better health and healthcare and lower costs than those remaining uninsured. Such a “natural history” study of outcomes for a cohort of uninsured children closely followed for 1 year would provide unique insights on the impact of Medicaid and CHIP on uninsured children and the risk factors for remaining uninsured
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