- THURSDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) — Insured children in the
United States are much more likely than uninsured children (91 percent vs.
69 percent) to visit a doctor's office and to have a regular annual
check-up (77 percent vs. 45 percent), according to new data released
Thursday by the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation.

The study, conducted by University of Minnesota researchers who
analyzed U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from
2005-07, also found that:

• About 10 million American children have chronic illnesses and 3.6
  million of those children are covered by Medicaid or the State Children's
  Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Chronically ill children covered by
  public insurance receive the same level of health services as those with
  private insurance, but chronically ill children with no insurance receive
  far less care.
• Uninsured children with chronic needs are far more likely (41 percent)
  to have their care delayed or to receive no care, compared to insured
  children with chronic needs (10 percent).
• Eight percent of children with chronic health conditions enrolled in
  SCHIP or Medicaid don't have a personal doctor, compared to 21 percent of
  uninsured children.
• Sixteen percent of children with special needs who are enrolled in
  SCHIP or Medicaid don't receive mental health care services, compared to
  43 percent of uninsured children.

The findings highlight the importance of government insurance programs
such as Medicaid and SCHIP, the study authors said.

“SCHIP and Medicaid provide an important safety net for America's
families, especially for families with chronically ill children. These
programs allow kids to get the care they need, so they can feel better,
grow stronger and thrive in school,” Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president
and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said in a news release.

“When children who need care do not receive it, their conditions worsen
and are harder and more expensive to treat later. Because of Medicaid and
SCHIP, millions of kids can get regular check-ups, take the medications
they need to stay well and see a doctor when they are sick. Parents of any
uninsured child should find out if their family is eligible for low-cost
or free insurance before sending their kids back to school,”
Lavizzo-Mourey added.

Currently, more than nine million children in the United States are
uninsured, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Most uninsured children
live in families where at least one parent works full-time.

More information

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has more about children
and health insurance.