Parent Mentors and Insuring Uninsured Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Pediatric Health
• Health Equity

Background:

• Millions of US children remain uninsured, with minority children disproportionately affected.
• A significant portion of uninsured children are eligible for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
• The most effective strategies for insuring these children are not well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of parent mentors (PMs) in insuring uninsured minority children.
• To compare PM intervention with traditional outreach methods for Medicaid/CHIP enrollment.
• To assess the impact of PMs on healthcare access, parental satisfaction, and long-term coverage.

Main Methods:

• A randomized trial involving 237 uninsured children and their families.
• Intervention group received support from trained parent mentors for one year.
• Control group received traditional Medicaid/CHIP outreach services.

Main Results:

• Parent mentors significantly increased insurance rates (95% vs. 68%) and expedited coverage acquisition.
• PM intervention led to higher parental satisfaction, improved access to primary and specialty care, and reduced unmet health needs.
• Sustained insurance coverage was observed two years post-intervention, with substantial cost savings per child insured.

Conclusions:

• Parent mentors represent a highly effective and cost-efficient strategy for insuring uninsured minority children.
• This intervention improves healthcare access, parental satisfaction, and achieves long-term health coverage.
• PMs offer a valuable model for addressing health disparities in pediatric insurance coverage.