The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) has reduced the number of uninsured children in the U.S., while improving access and utilization of health care services.
In “The Impact of Public Insurance Expansions on Children’s Access and Use of Care,” researchers reviewed National Health Interview Survey data from 1997 on 13,579 children, age 0 to 18, before the implementation of SCHIP, and another 11,900 children in 2003, after SCHIP implementation.
The data showed a reduction in uninsured children across all income groups, with the SCHIP target group (families whose incomes exceed Medicaid eligibility limits but fall below 200 percent of the federal poverty level) showing the greatest reduction – from 15.1 percent in 1997 to 8.7 percent in 2003.
There also was a reduction in the proportion of children without a provider visit in the last year and children without a consistent source of care. Children with full-year public health care coverage experienced at least as good and sometimes better care outcomes than children with private insurance.
The research provides a baseline for assessing the impact of future changes in public and private health insurance programs.