How do Medicaid/CHIP children with special health care needs differ from those with private insurance?
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Series Title(s):
- Issue brief (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)
- Author(s):
- Musumeci, MaryBeth, author Foutz, Julia, author
- Contributor(s):
- Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, issuing body.
- Publication:
- Menlo Park, CA : Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, February 2018
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Child Health Services -- statistics & numerical data Children's Health Insurance Program -- statistics & numerical data Health Services Accessibility -- statistics & numerical data Health Services Needs and Demand Insurance, Health -- statistics & numerical data Medicaid -- statistics & numerical data Child Cost of Illness Employment Poverty Private Sector Public Sector Humans United States State Children's Health Insurance Program (U.S.)
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- Medicaid and CHIP covered about half (48%) of all children with special health care needs in 2016. Medicaid/CHIP is the sole source of coverage for 41% of these children, and another 7% have Medicaid/CHIP to supplement their private coverage. Medicaid plays a key role for children with special health care needs by making coverage affordable and covering services that private insurance typically does not. This issue brief compares key characteristics of Medicaid/CHIP children with special health care needs to those with private insurance only and those who are uninsured. For example: (1) Medicaid/CHIP children with special health care needs are significantly more likely to live in low income families compared to those with private insurance only. Nearly eight in 10 (78%) Medicaid/CHIP-only children with special health care needs, and nearly six in 10 (57%) of those with both Medicaid/CHIP and private insurance, live in families with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level (less than $41,560/year for a family of three in 2018), compared to less than two in 10 (17%) of those with private insurance only. (2) Medicaid/CHIP children with special health care needs are significantly more likely to have multiple health conditions and to be in poorer health compared to those with private insurance alone, with children with both Medicaid/CHIP and private insurance having the greatest needs. For example, children with special health care needs with both Medicaid/CHIP and private insurance are more than twice as likely (55%), and those with Medicaid/CHIP only are nearly twice as likely (43%), to have four or more functional difficulties compared to those with private insurance alone (24%). (3) Medicaid/CHIP children with special health care needs are more likely to report that their coverage is affordable compared to those with private insurance alone. For example, those with Medicaid/CHIP only are more than four times as likely (82%), and those with both Medicaid/CHIP and private insurance are more than twice as likely (43%), to report that their out-of-pocket health care costs are always reasonable compared to those with private insurance alone (19%). Over half (53%) families of Medicaid/CHIP-only children with special health care needs, and over a third (36%) of those with both Medicaid/CHIP and private insurance, find it somewhat or very often hard to cover basic needs like housing or food since their child's birth compared to a fifth (20%) of those with private insurance only.
- Copyright:
- Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY license. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (8 pages, 1 unnumbered page))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 101740197 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101740197