Reaching Eligible But Uninsured Children
About Eligible But Uninsured Children
Despite the marked progress in states, almost 70 percent of all uninsured children (some six million) are eligible but not enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP. This is due to many factors including complicated enrollment and retention procedures that make it hard for families to enroll, or once enrolled, to keep their coverage. In addition, families still may not know about the coverage available for their children.
The characteristics of these eligible but uninsured children are:
- The vast majority (93 percent) is "low-income" which is defined as having family income below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. 1
- In fact, nationwide the majority of already-eligible uninsured children qualify for Medicaid, rather than SCHIP. Of the 6.1 million uninsured children eligible for coverage, 4.4 million are eligible for Medicaid and 1.7 million for SCHIP. These proportions will vary markedly by state. 2
- Most (70 percent) have parents who are employed, many in small firms, or are self-employed. 3
- The families of these children are eager to enroll their children in public programs when told about them and given the opportunity to do so. 4
See Facts and Statistics for information on uninsured rates and enrollment rates in Medicaid and SCHIP for children.
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Footnotes
1. J. Holahan, A. Cook, & L. Dubay, "
Characteristics of the Uninsured: Who is Eligible for Public Coverage and Who Needs Help Affording Coverage?," Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (February 2007).
2. M. Perry and J. Paradise, "
Enrolling Children in Medicaid and SCHIP: Insights from Focus Groups with Low-Income Parents," Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (May 2007); and G. Kenney, J. Haley, & A. Tebay, "
Familiarity with Medicaid and SCHIP Programs Grows and Interest in Enrolling Children Is High," Urban Institute, Snapshots of America's Families III, no. 2 (July 2003).
3. op. cit. (1).
4. op. cit (2).
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