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Chronic illness among poor children enrolled in the temporary assistance for needy families program
Paul H Wise1, Nina S Wampler, Wendy Chavkin
1Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Mass 02118, USA. pwise@bu.edu
Insights
Children with chronic illnesses face significant health disparities. Welfare policies must address insurance gaps for poor children receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits to improve health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Child Health
- Public Health Policy
- Health Disparities
Background:
- Children from low-income families often experience chronic illnesses.
- Access to healthcare and insurance coverage are critical for managing childhood chronic conditions.
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is a key program for supporting low-income families.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the prevalence of chronic illness in children enrolled in TANF versus those not receiving benefits.
- To examine the relationship between TANF enrollment, health insurance status, and access to care for children with chronic conditions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the 1998 National Health Interview Survey.
- Analyzed chronic child illness rates based on TANF enrollment status.
- Assessed health insurance coverage and access barriers for children with chronic illnesses.
Main Results:
- One quarter of children enrolled in TANF had chronic illnesses.
- Children not receiving TANF were three times more likely to be uninsured.
- Gaps in insurance coverage disproportionately affected unenrolled chronically ill children, leading to access barriers.
Conclusions:
- TANF policies should integrate considerations for chronic illness management.
- Addressing insurance coverage gaps is crucial for improving the health of poor children.
- Policy interventions are needed to mitigate health disparities faced by vulnerable children.
Objectives:
This study assessed chronic child illness among recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits and poor families not receiving benefits.
Methods:
Data from the 1998 National Health Interview Survey were used to examine chronic child illness, enrollment in TANF, health insurance status, and selected access indicators.
Results:
One quarter of TANF-enrolled children had chronic illnesses. Unenrolled children were 3 times as likely as TANF-enrolled children to be uninsured. Among the chronically ill, 31.7% of unenrolled and 14.3% of enrolled children experienced gaps in insurance coverage that were associated with access barriers.
Conclusions:
Welfare policies should consider the effects of chronic illness and gaps in insurance coverage on the health of poor children.