Pediatric Underinsurance in the United States
From 2016 to 2019, the rate of underinsured children in the United States rose by almost 4%— an additional 2.4 million kids. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine aimed to understand more about pediatric underinsurance in the country.
The lead researcher, Justin Yu, and his team analyzed data from the National Survey of Children’s Health to compare the insurance statuses of children under the age of 17 in the United States. The researchers defined “adequate” insurance as insurance that always or usually meets the health needs of children and allows them to see the healthcare providers they need to see.
The researchers found that pediatric underinsurance was mainly caused by increased rates of inadequate insurance rather than children not being covered by insurance at all. This means that even though children may be covered by insurance, it is becoming increasingly common for insurance plans to not cover enough of the costs needed for sufficient treatment.
Continuous and adequate health insurance is critical to a child’s overall health. With such an alarming increase in underinsurance rates, pediatric health outcomes are bound to suffer proportionately. In fact, the study found that families with children who have special health care needs were particularly impacted.
The lead researcher, Justin Yu, and his team analyzed data from the National Survey of Children’s Health to compare the insurance statuses of children under the age of 17 in the United States. The researchers defined “adequate” insurance as insurance that always or usually meets the health needs of children and allows them to see the healthcare providers they need to see.
The researchers found that pediatric underinsurance was mainly caused by increased rates of inadequate insurance rather than children not being covered by insurance at all. This means that even though children may be covered by insurance, it is becoming increasingly common for insurance plans to not cover enough of the costs needed for sufficient treatment.
Continuous and adequate health insurance is critical to a child’s overall health. With such an alarming increase in underinsurance rates, pediatric health outcomes are bound to suffer proportionately. In fact, the study found that families with children who have special health care needs were particularly impacted.
Inadequate insurance coverage makes it more difficult for children to access the healthcare providers or medications they require.
Image Source: Parentingupstream
The researchers predict that rising insurance inadequacy is a result of high out-of-pocket expenses for health services. Insurance companies are increasingly transferring costs to consumers through higher copays and premiums. This is concerning because higher fees may be a large barrier to healthcare access for millions of families. These trends also explain the study’s findings that children with private insurance were more likely to be underinsured than children with public insurance plans, like Medicaid.
Inadequate insurance is associated with receiving lower quality care and having larger unmet health care needs. For example, a child with inadequate coverage may require a prescription that is not covered by their plan. This would result in the family having to pay for the entirety of the prescription out-of-pocket, or choosing to forgo taking the medication. Underinsured children also experience difficulty receiving preventive care.
The researchers stated that the goal of the study was to make pediatric underinsurance a priority issue by bringing it to the forefront of the nation’s conversations. According to the researchers, tackling the problem of underinsurance likely requires large-scale policy reform, such as broadening eligibility for Medicaid or creating a universal health insurance program for all children in the United States. However, immediate smaller policy changes like assistance programs to help cover out-of-pocket costs would also be beneficial.
Inadequate insurance is associated with receiving lower quality care and having larger unmet health care needs. For example, a child with inadequate coverage may require a prescription that is not covered by their plan. This would result in the family having to pay for the entirety of the prescription out-of-pocket, or choosing to forgo taking the medication. Underinsured children also experience difficulty receiving preventive care.
The researchers stated that the goal of the study was to make pediatric underinsurance a priority issue by bringing it to the forefront of the nation’s conversations. According to the researchers, tackling the problem of underinsurance likely requires large-scale policy reform, such as broadening eligibility for Medicaid or creating a universal health insurance program for all children in the United States. However, immediate smaller policy changes like assistance programs to help cover out-of-pocket costs would also be beneficial.
Featured Image Source: stevepb
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