Chronically ill children with insurance compared with those uninsured.

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Chronically Ill Children With Public Coverage
Get Care More Than Uninsured, Report Finds
http://pubs.bna.com/ip/bna/HCE.NSF/eh/a0b6y2a5w8

Children with private or public insurance are more likely to receive needed care compared with uninsured children, a pattern that holds true among those with chronic health needs, according to a study scheduled for release Aug. 14 by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The study found that 31 percent of uninsured children did not visit a doctor's office last year, compared with 9 percent of insured children. In addition, 45 percent of uninsured children received a "well child" checkup in the past year, compared with 77 percent of those with insurance.

The study, A Needed Lifeline: Chronically Ill Children and Public Health Insurance Coverage, also found that 10 percent of children with chronic health needs and public insurance skip or postpone care, compared with 41 percent of their uninsured counterparts. More than one in three children with chronic health needs are enrolled in either Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

"SCHIP and Medicaid provide an important safety net for America's families, especially for families with chronically ill children. These programs allow kids to get the care they need, so that they can feel better, grow stronger and thrive in school," Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and chief executive officer of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said in a statement.

The report was released to kick off the RWJF's annual "Cover the Uninsured" Back-to-School Campaign. Lavizzo-Mourey urged parents to determine if their children are eligible for public programs before the school year begins.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota who analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also found that 8 percent of chronically ill children enrolled in SCHIP or Medicaid do not have a personal doctor, while 21 percent of their uninsured counterparts do not.

More information is available at www.rwjf.org.