Access to care for poor children: separate and unequal?

Article Abstract:

Poor children covered by Medicaid may receive the same level of routine care as children living above the poverty line, but they may receive that care in community clinics and emergency rooms rather than a private physician's office. A total of 17,110 families with at least one child under 18 were interviewed in 1988 as part of the National Health Interview Survey. One child was chosen from each family, and they were classified as above or below the poverty line, and according to their Medicaid coverage. Of the 2,451 poor children, 1,396 had Medicaid coverage and 973 did not. Although poor children with Medicaid were more likely to receive routine medical care than those without Medicaid, they were just as likely to get that care in a community clinic. And poor children who received routine care in a clinic were five times more likely to be treated in a hospital emergency room when they were sick. Legislation to broaden Medicaid eligibility may not improve poor children's access to health care.

Care and treatment, Evaluation, Poor children

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The effect on children of curtailing Medicaid spending

Article Abstract:

Children whose families live below the poverty level should be guaranteed Medicaid coverage even if Congress and the Administration place caps on Medicaid spending. Medicaid is an important safety net for children since it covers them when a parent loses private health insurance. Medicaid also provides preventive care to poor children whose parents could not otherwise afford it. Many of these parents have minimum wage jobs and cannot afford to pay for private health insurance. Reducing Medicaid expenditures may make it difficult for many families to move off of welfare. Poor children often have higher rates of acute and chronic illness. Children and their families accounted for only 27% of Medicaid expenditures in 1993, an amount that comes to 1% of the total federal budget. Health care expenditures for children accounted for only 20% of Medicaid growth between 1988 and 1993. Any cuts in Medicaid should be applied proportionately across all groups.

Finance, Services, Medically uninsured persons, Insurance

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The Role of Medicaid in Ensuring Children's Access to Care

Article Abstract:

Enrolling more children in Medicaid has improved their access to health care but they still don't receive the same services as privately insured children. This was the conclusion of a study of 29,711 children, some of whom were poor and had no insurance, some were poor and covered by Medicare, and some were privately insured. Level of access to health care of poor children with Medicaid fell between that of poor children with no insurance and privately insured children.

Medical care

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