CoveringKids.org
Title
Covering Kids & Families
Description
Among the tens of millions of uninsured Americans are significant numbers of children and adults who are currently eligible for publicly funded health care coverage programs but are not enrolled. Approximately 44 million Americans are uninsured, including 8.4 million children. Over half of uninsured children are Hispanic or African American. Many uninsured children are eligible for Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Many adults are eligible too.
Due to policy and procedural barriers and a lack of knowledge about public health coverage programs, thousands of uninsured but eligible children and adults are not enrolled in Medicaid or SCHIP. Beginning with Medicaid expansions during the late 1980s and in recent years with SCHIP enacted by Congress in 1997, the opportunities for coverage have expanded. As of April 2003, all states and the District of Columbia administer an SCHIP program, and 38 states and the District of Columbia have expanded eligibility for children in households at or above 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) which is approximately $40,000 annually for a family of four.
Research findings demonstrate that offering coverage to parents helps to identify and enroll more eligible children, and policymakers increasingly recognize that millions of low-income working adults do not receive or cannot afford private health care coverage. As a result, some states have relied on Medicaid and SCHIP to expand coverage to adults.
Contact
- Southern Institute on Children and Families
-
- Columbia SC
- United States 29201
-
- +1.8037792607
