Full Citation
Title: Medicaid and CHIP for Children: Trends in Coverage, Affordability, and Provider Access
Citation Type: Miscellaneous
Publication Year: 2017
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Abstract: The share of children with Medicaid/CHIP coverage at the time of the survey 1 increased by 8.9 percentage points between 2008 and 2015, from 27.3 percent to 36.2 percent, while the share of uninsured children declined by 49.5 percent. In 2015, 64.1 percent of children in fair or poor health had Medicaid/CHIP coverage at the time of the survey. An estimated 6.8 million more children had Medicaid/CHIP coverage in 2015 than in 2008. Financial barriers declined over this period for children covered by Medicaid/CHIP. » Between 2008 and 2015, the share of children covered by Medicaid or CHIP who did not receive needed medical care because their families could not afford it decreased 2.3 percentage points to 7.6 percent, and the share of children who delayed care because of cost decreased 1.0 percentage points to 1.1 percent. » Between 2011 and 2015, 2 the share of children in families that reported having problems paying medical bills decreased 7.4 percentage points to 21.6 percent, and the share of children in families that reported being unable to pay medical bills decreased 5.5 percentage points to 13.8 percent. » Between 2008 and 2015, the share of children who had routine checkups increased 3.8 percentage points to 85.0 percent, and the share of children who had seen a dentist in the past year increased 8.8 percentage points to 81.2 percent. » Nearly all children covered by Medicaid/CHIP had a usual source of care (95.4 percent in 2015), and just over one in ten Medicaid/CHIP-covered children saw a specialist (11.0 percent in 2015), but these shares did not change significantly over time. Access to providers improved among children covered by Medicaid/CHIP. » Between 2008 and 2015, the share of children who delayed care for reasons other than cost decreased 2.7 percentage points to 11.5 percent. This decrease was driven by declines in care delays related to long waits at the doctor's office, inconvenient doctor's office hours, and difficulty reaching the doctor's office by phone. » Only 1.5 percent of children had trouble finding a doctor in 2015. Between 2011 and 2015, 3 the share of children who were told a doctor was not accepting new patients decreased 1.0 percentage points to 2.0 percent, and the share told that a doctor did not accept their insurance type decreased 1.8 percentage points to 2.8 percent. As children's Medicaid/CHIP enrollment increased by almost a third (32.6 percent) and adult Medicaid enrollment also expanded significantly (85.7 percent), the children's uninsured rate fell by 49.5 percent, and financial access, provider access, and receipt of routine care improved among children covered by Medicaid/CHIP. Congress is now considering cuts to federal funding for Medicaid and CHIP that could jeopardize these gains in coverage and access for children. If the cuts are approved, fewer children may be covered by Medicaid/CHIP, and those who are covered may see their care deteriorate.
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Authors: Johnston, Emily M; Gates, Jason A; Kenney, Genevieve M
Publisher: Urban Institute
Data Collections: IPUMS Health Surveys - NHIS
Topics: Health, Other, Poverty and Welfare
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