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Less Doctor Visits For Children Of Uninsured Parents

Posted on: Thursday, 17 September 2009, 07:15 CDT

Parents without health insurance are less likely to take their children in for routine medical care, according to a new study.

With the information provided by a government survey of over 43,000 U.S. households, researchers discovered that children and teenagers were least likely to have seen a doctor or dentist in the past year when they and their parents were without health insurance.

The surprising part is that these gaps were also noted in cases where the parents were uninsured, but the children had health coverage through groups like the government-run State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

When compared to children whose parents had health insurance, these children were almost one-third more likely to be without a regular health provider. They were also 20 percent more likely to skip at least one type of preventive health counseling, such as discussing healthy eating and exercise with a physician.

When other factors were thrown into the mix, including family income and the education level of parents, the researchers found that the insurance status of the parents was still linked to the likelihood of their children receiving consistent healthcare.

This discovery highlights the importance of the entire family having health insurance, according to the researchers, led by Dr. Jennifer E. DeVoe of Oregon Health and Science University in Portland.

SCHIP was created  to offer insurance for children from working families who cannot afford private insurance but earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, the healthcare coverage program for the poor.

DeVoe and her colleagues wrote in the Annals of Family Medicine that SCHIP has improved U.S. children’s coverage rates.

They also said, "The vulnerability of children in this study that is due not only to their own coverage instabilities but also the lack of reliable coverage for parents, however, highlights the need to look beyond child-only insurance models in the longer term."

Of the 43,509 kids in the study ranging in age from 2- to 17, about 74 percent were from families where all members had health insurance. Both parents and children were without coverage in 8 percent of homes, while in 10 percent, children were covered but parents were not.

In the 10 percent of families, children were more than twice as likely to have spent a portion of the year without coverage, when compared to children in families where all members had insurance.

DeVoe and her team write that for the time being, doctors can help by identifying parents and children who may qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP.

However, in the longer term, they say that "ensuring universal access to health care services and recommended preventive care will require comprehensive reforms."

"Keeping the entire family in mind when crafting any new reforms will be essential to achieving a sustainable health care system and the best possible health outcomes for our children."

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On the Net:

• Oregon Health and Science University
• Annals of Family Medicine

Source: RedOrbit Staff & Wire Reports

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