Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) cover more than 45 million children. Medicaid and CHIP coverage has been associated with increased access to care and use of medical and dental services and improved health outcomes.
MACPAC’s most recent work is based on results from national household surveys. The analyses have focused on experiences of children covered by Medicaid and CHIP accessing and using health care services in comparison to those covered by private insurance and the uninsured. The analyses also examine how the experiences of children differ when comparing by age group and household income to understand if individuals of similar age or income experience the same barriers regardless of coverage.
Recent work shows that children covered by Medicaid and CHIP have similarly high rates of access to health care services compared to those with private insurance. A high proportion of children covered by Medicaid and CHIP have a usual source of care and access to routine care, including well-child visits, eye exams, and dental exams. Additionally, fewer than 5 percent of children covered by Medicaid and CHIP reported delays in receiving medical care, dental care, and prescription medications due to cost. Similar findings of high rates of service use were observed for children covered by Medicaid and CHIP when stratifying by income and by age group.
Learn more about children’s access to care:
- Access in Brief: Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (2023)
- Access in Brief: Children’s Experiences in Accessing Medical Care (2021)
- Access to Behavioral Health Services for Children and Adolescents Covered by Medicaid and CHIP (2021)
- Access in Brief: Use of Emergency Departments by Children (2016)
- Access in Brief: Children’s Dental Services (2016)
MACPAC also includes exhibits on access measures in MACStats. Learn more by reviewing these MACStats tables:
- Use of Care among Non-Institutionalized Individuals Age 0–18 by Primary Source of Health Coverage, Data from National Health Interview Survey
- Use of Care among Non-Institutionalized Individuals Age 0–18 by Primary Source of Health Coverage, Data from Medical Expenditures Panel Survey
- Measures of Access to Care among Non-Institutionalized Individuals Age 0–18 by Primary Source of Health Coverage
Other related issue briefs: