UNINSURED AND UNDERINSURED YOUTH/CHILDREN

Uninsured & Underinsured Youth/Children Who Suffer From Not Having Healthcare Coverage

Table of Content

CHAPTER-I: INTRODUCTION3

Purpose of the Study4

Significance of the Study4

CHAPTER-II: LITERATURE REVIEW6

History of Medicaid6

Expansion of Medicaid: Children's Health Insurance Program7

Adequacy of Existing Health Insurance Coverage11

Low-Income Population and the Role of Medicaid15

Proposed Strategies and Underlying Assumptions16

Eligibility Outreach for Children Eligible for CHIP, but not Enrolled17

Coverage for Parents of Medicaid Eligible Children18

Assistance for Workers between Jobs18

Conditions Needed To Facilitate Expansion of Public/Private-Financed Health Coverage20

Financing the Federal Costs20

Increased Federal-State Partnership21

Improved Business-Government Partnership23

Community Network Collaborations23

CHAPTER-III: METHODOLOGY25

Data Source25

Description of Variables Used26

Insurance Coverage26

Socio-economic and Health Status Characteristics27

Characteristics of Uninsured, SCHIP-Eligible Children and Other Children29

Socio-demographic Characteristics29

Family Level Characteristics30

Factors Associated With SCHIP Eligibility31

CHAPTER-IV: FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS33

Chapter-V: Possible Conclusion34

References36

Appendices39

TABLE 1: Socio-demographic Characteristics of Children by Group: United States, 1993 and 199439

TABLE 2: Family-Level Characteristics of Children by Group: United States, 1993 and 199441

TABLE 3: Health Status Characteristics of Children by Group: United States, 1993 and 199443

CHAPTER-I: INTRODUCTION

While a vast majority of Americans receive healthcare coverage through employer-based private insurance, some segments of the population are covered through publicly-funded programmes such as Medicaid - for low-income families and persons with disabilities (Brown and Wyn, 1996; Kronick and Gilmer, 1999). As of 1997, 16.1% of the non-elderly population in the United States - an estimated 43 million people - lacked health insurance, meaning they were not covered by private health insurance and did not receive publicly-financed health assistance. This represented an increase of approximately nine million uninsured persons since 1993. A primary reason for the increase is due to the rising costs of healthcare that have caused a decline in employment-based coverage for individuals working in small firms (< or = 25 employees). Of this 43 million, 26.4% are children, 16.4% are non-workers, 21.4% are dependent workers, and 35% are persons employed in small business or in part-time positions. According to the results of the study conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute in 1994, the percentages of employed persons who did not have employer-based private insurance varied by industry. The results revealed that 46% of the uninsured are employed in the agriculture industry, 32% in construction, 26% in retail, 23% self-employed, 18% in service industries, 7% in government, and 12% in all other industries.

Researchers and policymakers have considered many approaches to finding a solution to cover the growing numbers of the uninsured and under-insured. These approaches included: a proposal to implement a universal type of national health insurance; expanding existing public programmes; and devising incentives to increase private health insurance coverage. There is an increasing concern that as the number of persons without health coverage increases, the overall quality of life and integrity of the US healthcare system will be undermined (Brown and Wyn, 1996). Smith (1997), noted that as the numbers of uninsured and under-insured Americans increase, hospitals will have to absorb the costs of providing care to persons unable to pay for it, with some hospitals shouldering more of the burden than others.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this paper will be five-fold:

(1) to examine ...