Children's Health-CHIP [Children's Health Insurance Program] Outreach Issues/Substantive
Images (77)
Showing first 60 of 77 pages.
Document
| id |
id
621034044
|
|---|---|
| contentType |
contentType
document
|
| source |
source
import
|
Source image fields (6)
Extracted text
OCR Page 1 of 7702/11/98
12:00
FAX
003
GRANTSCENE
GRANTMAKERS IN HEALTH
FALL 1997
EXPANDING HEALTH INSURANCE
on developing and evaluating model
programs to cover uninsured children.
COVERAGE FOR CHILDREN
With grant funds, we have supported
forums on Capitol Hill to provide
lawmakers with concrete information
about designing programs to increase
by Eugene M. Lewit, PhD
coverage for children. We have devoted
Director Research and Grants, Economics
several issues of our journal, The Future
of Children, to children's health care and
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
health care reform and continued our
coverage with several subsequent
journal articles on the topic. We
I mproving access to health
coverage, large subsidies
distribute The Future of Children free of
care to assure that children
may be necessary to
charge to a large and diversified
and pregnant women receive
substantially increase
audience of decision makers who have
the care they need, when they
coverage. Subsidies to
an interest in children and their families.
need it, has been a long-
families for insurance
We also have underwritten evaluations
standing goal of the David
coverage will most likely
of model child health insurance pro-
and Lucile Packard
have to be provided by the
public sector, although
grams such as Child Health Plus in New
Foundation's child health
York State and California Kids in
program. Although it cannot
employment-based
California. The evaluations are focused
guarantee good health, health
insurance, which plays a
insurance is a major determi-
key role in covering many
primarily on the impact of the two
nant of children's access to
Lewit
children, might be har-
programs on children's utilization of
health services, the quality of health care
needed health care services.
nessed to expand coverage
received, their health status, and their
Therefore, expanding health insurance
for some of the uninsured. It must be
noted, however, that the cost of insur-
parents' satisfaction. The New York
coverage for children is an important
evaluation also looked at the impact of
component of our health care access
ance coverage is not the only barrier. It
is estimated that as many as three
the programs (which, at that time,
focus.
In 1995, 14 percent of children, 10
million uninsured children are in fact
primarily provided coverage for
eligible for coverage under Medicaid, the
ambulatory care) on health care costs
million children in the United States, did
and whether coverage under the
not have health insurance coverage; in
federal-state health insurance program
California, 1.6 million children under age
for poor and low-income children and
programs leads to a reduction in the use
18 were uninsured. In the two-year
their families. The reasons why so many
of high cost services such as emergency
rooms and hospitalization. The Founda-
period of 1995 through 1996, an esti-
Medicaid-eligible children are not
tion also has funded national and
mated 23.1 million children, 33 percent
enrolled in Medicaid and are uninsured
California-based advocacy groups
of all children, were without coverage
are not well understood; they include the
attempting to build support for ex-
for at least one month.
social stigma associated with Medicaid
and other welfare-related programs, lack
panded coverage.
THE PACKARD FOUNDATION'S
of awareness of eligibility by parents,
AN IMPROVED OUTLOOK
APPROACH
administrative impediments to enroll-
ment, and brief episodes of uninsurance
The outlook for increasing health
Foundation activities to help
and eligibility associated with temporary
insurance coverage for children changed
increase health insurance coverage for
parental unemployment or other
dramatically in early August with
children have used a number of strate-
transitory life events.
enactment of a new Title to the Social
gies. Central to our approach is the
The Packard Foundation's activities
Security Act, Title XXI, the State
recognition that, particularly for low-
in this area have focused both on calling
Children's Health Insurance Program
and moderate-income families, since cost
attention to the impact of a lack of
(SCHIP). SCHIP provides states with
can be a significant barrier to insurance
insurance on children and families, and
continued on page 3
Health Insurance for Children 1
"Take It Outside" Campaign 4
Health Care With Harm 6
Relations
belongs_to