Subject(s)
Child Health Services , Children's Health Insurance Program , Health Equity , Medicaid , Adolescent , COVID-19 , Child , Child Health Services/economics , Humans , Insurance Coverage/statistics & numerical data , Insurance, Health, Reimbursement/economics , Medicaid/economics , Medicaid/legislation & jurisprudence , United StatesABSTRACT
From the Document: The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic threatens to upend the well-being of many Hispanic adults and their families. Already, the pandemic is affecting Hispanic adults' family financial security to a greater extent than other racial/ethnic groups. As of late March/early April 2020, nearly 6 in 10 nonelderly Hispanic adults were in families where someone lost a job, work hours, or work-related income because of the coronavirus outbreak, and close to 5 in 10 experienced some material hardship in the past 30 days (Karpman et al. 2020). Underlying these disparities for Hispanic adults is their disproportionate representation in industries most likely affected by the pandemic and their lower likelihood of having jobs that can be performed from home (Berube and Bateman 2020).COVID-19 (Disease);Epidemics;Financial security
ABSTRACT
Expansion of Medicaid and establishment of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) represent a significant success story in the national effort to guarantee health insurance for children. That success is reflected in the high rates of coverage and health care access achieved for children, including those in low-income families. But significant coverage gaps remain-gaps that have been increasing since 2016 and are likely to accelerate with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the associated recession. Using National Health Interview Survey data, we found that the proportion of uninsured children was 5.5 percent in 2018. Children continue to face coverage interruptions, and Latino, adolescent, and noncitizen children continue to face elevated risks of being uninsured. Although we note the benefits of a universal, federally financed, single-payer approach to coverage, we also offer two possible reform pathways that can take place within the current multipayer system, aimed at ensuring coverage, access, continuity, and comprehensiveness to move the nation closer to the goal of providing the health care that children need to reach their full potential and to reduce racial and economic inequalities.