Analysis of Children's Health Insurance Patterns:
Findings from the SIPP

Several people contributed to this report and the analyses that underlie it. The author is particularly grateful to Marsha Gold and Margo Rosenbach for their detailed review of the report and the many valuable suggestions that they provided. The author would also like to thank Jim Verdier for his help in highlighting and interpreting key findings, and Embry Howell and Harold Beebout for their overall guidance in the final stages of this project. Finally, the author is grateful to Bob Cohen for his many hours of careful programming and table construction; to Marilyn Ellwood and Kimball Lewis for answering countless questions about data and eligibility rules; to Daryl Hall for her excellent editing; and to Felita Buckner, Pat McCall, and Angie KewalRamani for their good work on the final production of the report.

CONTENTS

Executive Summary

Introduction

Purpose of This Report
Source of Data

How Many Children Lack Insurance?

How Long Do Children Remain Uninsured?

What Are the Patterns of Movement Between Spells with and without Insurance?

What Precedes Spells without Insurance?
What Follows Spells without Insurance?
How Much Churning Is There among Uninsured Children and Medicaid Participants?

What Are the Characteristics of Children by Health Insurance Coverage?

How Does Insurance Coverage Vary among Subgroups of Children?
How Does a Child's Insurance Coverage Compare to That of His or Her Parents?
How Does a Child's Age Influence the Chances of Being Uninsured or on Medicaid?
What Characteristics Distinguish Uninsured Children Who Are Medicaid-Eligible?
Do the Characteristics of Uninsured Children Vary by Spell Duration?

How Many Fewer Uninsured Children Would There Be with More Complete Participation in Medicaid?

How High Is Medicaid Participation?
What Proportion of Uninsured Children Are Eligible for Medicaid?
What Do Medicaid Participation Rates Tell Us about Strategies for Outreach?

Conclusion

References

Appendices

Appendix A: Measuring Medicaid Eligibility, Medicaid Participation, and Lack of Health Insurance Among Children: Exploring the Issues with the SIPP

Appendix B: The Dynamics of Uninsurance, Medicaid Eligibility and Participation among Children: 1993-1994.

Appendix C: Characteristics of Children by Health Insurance Status

Appendix D: How Many Uninsured Children Are There?

Where to?

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