Kentucky study highlights harms from disruptions in children's Medicaid coverage

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-05/aaop-ksh042617.php

Public Release: 4-May-2017
Kentucky study highlights harms from disruptions in children's Medicaid coverage
Research at 2017 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting shows children with gaps in coverage more likely to visit emergency departments or have unmet health care needs
American Academy of Pediatrics

New research being presented at the 2017 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting suggest that when children lose state Medicaid coverage even for a short time, they are likely to go without needed health care, or to receive care in resource-intensive setting such as emergency departments rather than less expensive primary care offices.

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Adjusting for demographic factors such as socio-economic status, the researchers compared children who were continuously insured during the year with those who'd had disrupted coverage. They found that those with disruption in coverage were more than 3 times more likely to have visited an emergency department and nearly 5 times more likely to have an unmet health care need.

"Gaps in health insurance coverage is a reality for many low-income children," Dr. Myers said. "A better understanding of the downstream effects of these disruptions on the health of children who experience them is needed, especially since our results suggest they may lead to unmet health needs and sicker children, along with costlier care when it is provided."

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