Who enrolls in a program for parents of publicly insured children?

Although interest in expanding SCHIP coverage to parents has grown over the past five years, few such expansions have actually been implemented. State governments and health plan administrators remain concerned that these expansions will attract only high-risk enrollees, resulting in costly premiums that require large subsidies. We examine characteristics of enrollees in an SCHIP-like expansion program in Alameda County, California. According to our survey data, the program did not experience unfavorable selection. Rather, it attracted a broad range of eligible adults. Enrollees were comparable to the overall low-income population in Alameda County in terms of age, health status, and various utilization measures.