Children's ability to access and use health care

Under new regulations for Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), states can extend health insurance to child enrollees' uninsured parents. We compared the extent to which child-only and family coverage (child and parent insured) ensure health care access and use for children in working-poor families. Among these children, 21 percent were uninsured, as were 30 percent of their parents. Children with no family coverage encountered more access barriers than insured children. Extending insurance to children markedly increases access and use. The additional benefits of family coverage over child-only coverage seem less pronounced, but family coverage expansions may narrow disparities in access.