Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) play important roles in providing health insurance to low-income children and children with disabilities who would otherwise face considerable financial barriers to health care.
In this issue brief, we expand on the current literature on access to care for children. We used data from the 2019 National Health Interview Survey to compare the demographics, health status, and difficulties accessing care for children covered by Medicaid and CHIP compared to children who either have private insurance or who are uninsured. We stratified the results by income to understand if individuals of similar income levels experience the same barriers regardless of coverage. We also stratified by age to understand how access and use differs by coverage type within each age group.
Children with Medicaid or CHIP coverage have high rates of having a usual source of care and access to routine care. In 2019, they were as likely in the past 12 months to have seen a doctor, had a well child visit, and have had a dental exam as privately insured children. They also had similarly low rates of delayed care as privately insured children and they were significantly less likely to delay medical care, prescriptions, and dental care as uninsured children.
