The demographic characteristics of Medicaid-eligible uninsured children

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Pediatric Health Policy
• Health Economics

Background:

• Medicaid is a crucial public health insurance program for low-income children in the United States.
• Despite eligibility, a significant number of children remain uninsured, highlighting gaps in program access and enrollment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the number of uninsured children in 1993 who were eligible for Medicaid.
• To identify demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of uninsured, Medicaid-eligible children.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from the March 1990 and 1994 Current Population Surveys.
• Estimation of the uninsured population among children eligible for Medicaid.

Main Results:

• At least 2.3 million children eligible for Medicaid were uninsured in 1993.
• Uninsured, Medicaid-eligible children were more likely to have working parents compared to children enrolled in Medicaid.
• Higher proportions of uninsured children eligible for Medicaid were under age 6, lived in female-headed single-parent families, and were African-American or Hispanic.

Conclusions:

• A substantial number of children eligible for Medicaid do not enroll in the program.
• Uninsured, eligible children exhibit distinct characteristics compared to those enrolled in Medicaid, suggesting targeted outreach is needed.