Insurance Matters When It Comes to Kids' Health Care (HealthDay)

THURSDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Insured children in theUnited States are much more likely than uninsured children (91 percent vs.69 percent) to visit a doctor's office and to have a regular annualcheck-up (77 percent vs. 45 percent), according to new data releasedThursday by the RobertWood Johnson Foundation.

The study, conducted by University of Minnesota researchers whoanalyzed U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from2005-07, also found that:

• About 10 million American children have chronic illnesses and 3.6million of those children are covered by Medicaid or the State Children'sHealth Insurance Program (SCHIP). Chronically ill children covered bypublic insurance receive the same level of health services as those withprivate insurance, but chronically ill children with no insurance receivefar less care.
• Uninsured children with chronic needs are far more likely (41 percent)to have their care delayed or to receive no care, compared to insuredchildren with chronic needs (10 percent).
• Eight percent of children with chronic health conditions enrolled inSCHIP or Medicaid don't have a personal doctor, compared to 21 percent ofuninsured children.
• Sixteen percent of children with special needs who are enrolled inSCHIP or Medicaid don't receive mental health care services, compared to43 percent of uninsured children.

The findings highlight the importance of government insurance programssuch as Medicaid and SCHIP, the study authors said.

"SCHIP and Medicaid provide an important safety net for America'sfamilies, especially for families with chronically ill children. Theseprograms allow kids to get the care they need, so they can feel better,grow stronger and thrive in school," Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, presidentand CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said in a news release.

"When children who need care do not receive it, their conditions worsenand are harder and more expensive to treat later. Because of Medicaid andSCHIP, millions of kids can get regular check-ups, take the medicationsthey need to stay well and see a doctor when they are sick. Parents of anyuninsured child should find out if their family is eligible for low-costor free insurance before sending their kids back to school,"Lavizzo-Mourey added.

Currently, more than nine million children in the United States areuninsured, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Most uninsured childrenlive in families where at least one parent works full-time.

More information

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