Below is a description of sources used for data reported on the State Snapshots provided by Georgetown University Center for Children and Families (CCF) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). All snapshots are available here.
Children’s Health Insurance Coverage (2016)
Georgetown CCF analysis of single-year estimates of summary data from the 2016 American Community Survey (ACS). Children are defined as those under the age of 18. Data on sources of health insurance coverage convey whether a person has coverage at the time of the survey. The ACS is administered throughout the calendar year.
The Census Bureau provides the following categories of coverage for respondents to indicate source of health insurance: current or former employer, purchased directly from an insurance company, Medicare, Medicaid or means-tested (includes CHIP), TRICARE or other military health coverage, VA, Indian Health Service (IHS), or other. People who indicate IHS as their only source of health coverage do not have comprehensive coverage and are considered to be uninsured.
Additional information on methodology is provided in CCF’s annual report on children’s coverage rates.
- J. Alker and O. Pham, Nation’s Uninsured Rate for Children Drops to Another Historic Low in 2016, Georgetown University Center for Children and Families (September 2017).
Low-Income Children with Medicaid/CHIP
Georgetown CCF analysis of single-year estimates of summary data from the 2016 American Community Survey (ACS). Children are defined as those under the age of 18.
Low-income is defined as children under 138 percent of the poverty threshold ($27,821 for a family of three in 2016). Data on poverty levels include only those individuals for whom the poverty status can be determined for the last year. The Census determines an individual’s poverty status by comparing that person’s income in the last 12 months to poverty thresholds that account for family size and composition, as well as various types of income.
Additional information on methodology is provided in CCF’s annual report on children’s coverage rates.
- J. Alker and O. Pham, Nation’s Uninsured Rate for Children Drops to Another Historic Low in 2016, Georgetown University Center for Children and Families (September 2017).
Young Children with Medicaid/CHIP
Georgetown CCF analysis of single-year estimates of summary data from the 2016 American Community Survey (ACS). Young is defined as children under six years old. Coverage includes children with Medicaid or other public coverage alone or in combination with another health coverage source.
Children with Special Health Care Needs with Public Coverage
- Musumeci, MaryBeth and Julia Foutz. “Medicaid’s Role for Children with Special Health Care Needs: A Look at Eligibility, Services, and Spending” Kaiser Family Foundation, February 2018.
Children in Foster Care with Medicaid/CHIP
Urban Institute analysis of Medicaid Statistical Information System (MSIS) data. In 2001, states provided Medicaid coverage to approximately 870,000 foster care children for $3.8 billion. “All foster children for whom states receive federal reimbursement for foster care expenses (under title IV-E of the Social Security Act) are categorically eligible for Medicaid. States have the option to extend Medicaid benefits to non-IV-E eligible foster children, and all states do. In addition, children receiving federally reimbursed adoption subsidies are categorically eligible for Medicaid. All states but one have also chosen to cover adopted children supported by state-funded subsidies in their Medicaid programs. Thus, virtually all children in foster care and in adoptive placements are eligible for Medicaid.”
- R. Green, A Sommers, M. Cohen, “Medicaid Spending on Foster Children,” The Urban Institute (August 2005).
Name of Medicaid Program
- Healthcare.gov, “Medicaid and CHIP program names in your state”.
Name of CHIP Program
- Kaiser Family Foundation, “CHIP Program Name and Type,” State Health Facts (as of May 1, 2015).
Percent of Medicaid/CHIP Enrollees that are Children
Monthly enrollment data is preliminary and may be updated in subsequent CMS Eligibility and Enrollment Reports. Additional information about methodology, including state-by-state table notes, are available here: March 2018 Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment Data Highlights.
There were three states (Arizona, District of Columbia, and Tennessee) with no data available. We report data for these states using Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) analysis of MSIS data of Medicaid full-year equivalent enrollment by state and eligibility group for fiscal year 2013 or 2014. Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand. Full-year equivalent is unduplicated, average monthly enrollment in Medicaid. Children are those who qualify for Medicaid based on age (rather than disability) and includes full benefit enrollees. Children enrolled in CHIP-financed coverage are excluded.
Additional information about data analysis and collection by MACPAC is provided in the Technical Guide to MACStats.
- Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), Exhibit 15a: Medicaid Full-Year Equivalent Enrollment by State and Eligibility Group, FY2013 and FY 2014 (thousands), December 2017 edition of MACStats: Medicaid and CHIP Data Book (as of December 2017)
