AmeriCorps Members increase enrollment in Medicaid/CHIP and preventive care utilization at a community health center

Area of Science:

• Child Health Services
• Health Insurance Access
• Community Health Programs

Background:

• Uninsured children, particularly Latino children, face significant barriers to accessing primary care.
• Federally Qualified Community Health Centers (FQHCs) serve vulnerable populations, including many uninsured Latino families.
• Lack of health insurance is a major determinant of reduced healthcare access for children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of case management (CM) by AmeriCorps Members (ACM) in increasing Medicaid/CHIP enrollment for children.
• To identify factors contributing to the non-enrollment of eligible children in Medicaid/CHIP.
• To compare healthcare utilization patterns between enrolled and non-enrolled children.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study was conducted at two urban FQHCs serving predominantly Latino families.
• One FQHC offered CM assistance for Medicaid/CHIP enrollment, while the other provided only application instructions.
• Enrollment rates and healthcare utilization were compared between the two groups.

Main Results:

• The FQHC offering CM assistance achieved a 74% enrollment rate, significantly higher than the 26% rate at the clinic providing only instructions.
• Children who were not enrolled in Medicaid/CHIP completed fewer preventive care visits compared to enrolled children.
• CM by ACM proved to be a cost-effective strategy for improving insurance enrollment.

Conclusions:

• Case management by ACM is a highly effective and low-cost intervention for increasing access to health insurance for underserved children.
• Targeted case management can significantly improve healthcare access and utilization for Latino children.
• Interventions like ACM-led CM are crucial for addressing health disparities in vulnerable pediatric populations.