For the study, researchers recruited 267 uninsured Medicaid eligible Latino and African-American children from 97 urban Texas community sites, including supermarkets, health fairs and schools. Researchers studied socio-demographic characteristics, uninsurance duration, reasons for uninsurance, health status, special healthcare needs, access to care, unmet needs and use of health services, among others.
The study was published in the International Journal for Equity in Health.
Here are five statistics to know.
1. About 49 percent of parents were aware their uninsured child was Medicaid/CHIP eligible.
2. The average time period study participants spent uninsured was 14 months.
3. The most common reason for uninsurance was unafforadable insurance costs.
4. About 38 percent of child participants had suboptimal health and 66 percent had special healthcare needs.
5. Due to a child’s healthcare needs, 35 percent of parents reported experiencing financial difficulties, 23 percent reported having to cut work hours to attend their children’s needs and 10 percent found it necessary to quit their job.
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