This week started out on a high, since I had the pleasure of heading over to C-SPAN’s Washington Journal to talk about my favorite topic of late: the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). (Shout out to my father, Larry Wright, who is arguably CSPAN’s #1 fan in Arkansas and could have only been more excited had I appeared on Booknotes.) You can watch the segment below. I was pleased to hear from several callers from around the country that rely on CHIP for their children and, as we hear time and time again, were grateful for the peace of mind and financial security that CHIP coverage provides.

Now, unfortunately, you don’t get do-overs on live TV, but we do have SayAhhh! to get the facts straight about children’s health care coverage. So in the interest of putting a fine point on it, I want to again address the Pennsylvania father’s concerns about access to care in CHIP. He talked of his understandable frustration getting doctors he prefers for his children through CHIP. But it’s worth noting that his experience is not the norm, and any challenges families have accessing care are by no means limited to CHIP or even public coverage—they challenge the entire health system. In fact, access to care in Medicaid and CHIP is comparable to that in private plans. CCF’s most recent fact sheet sums up the research:

Children and families in Medicaid and CHIP have significantly better access to health care and fewer cost barriers than those who are uninsured. Access to care in Medicaid and CHIP is comparable to private coverage when controlling for socioeconomic characteristics. Further, health services are more affordable in Medicaid/ CHIP and provide greater financial protection for children and families than private coverage.

Thanks again to Washington Journal for highlighting CHIP’s important role covering kids.