CHIP: new opportunities in adolescent health care delivery

Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP), usually targeted to infants, toddlers, and school-aged children, have been expanded to include adolescents. Adolescents need some form of health insurance in order to access needed care. Moreover, programs and services that provide them with health care must be adolescent-friendly, adolescent-focused and adolescent-sensitive, and include specialized training for primary care providers. Translating this philosophy into a successful health care delivery program involves addressing the psychological, institutional and financial barriers that make it difficult for adolescents to access health care. Overcoming these barriers, especially the financial ones, requires that primary care providers advocate for teenagers and take advantage of resources made available for them. CHIP provides a critical opportunity for policy-makers and health care providers to further improve adolescent health care and to more fully integrate adolescents into the health care system.