The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #50587

Christina Park, PhD and Michael Kogan, PhD. Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Room 18-41 Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, 301-443-0755, Cpark1@hrsa.gov

OBJECTIVE: Little data are available on Title V as a source of health care coverage for mothers and children. This analysis describes the population of young children having Title V coverage and compares their demographics, health needs, and health service utilization to those of other children. DATA: The National Survey of Early Childhood Health, conducted in 2000, is a telephone survey of a national random sample of 2,068 children 4 to 35 months old. The questions on health insurance included Title V as a source of coverage allowing a rare opportunity to look at the group of children having this coverage. METHODS: The sample children are divided into four groups according to their health care coverage: Title V coverage, Medicaid only, private insurance only, and uninsured. Data are weighted and analyzed using SAS/SUDAAN. RESULTS: Approximately 4.5% of children 4-35 months old in the U.S. reported having Title V coverage. The vast majority of these children were also covered by Medicaid. These children differed the most from those with private insurance on many demographic characteristics and were most similar to children with Medicaid except that they were more likely to have special health care needs. Children with Title V coverage were the least likely to have unmet needs and/or delayed care among the four groups. CONCLUSION: The findings support that Title V coverage helps fill gaps in health insurance coverage by functioning as a supplemental coverage and by reducing unmet health care needs and delayed care.

Learning Objectives:

• At the end of this presentation, the audience will recognize major sources of health insurance for young children in this country and learn socio-demographic differences between children groups that are covered or not covered by these health insurance types. Through the comparison of children with Title V coverage to other groups of children, the session participant will further realize whether Title V fulfills its purported goals of help filling gaps in health insurance coverage and help meet the health care needs of vulnerable children population.

Keywords: Health Insurance, Health Care Utilization

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.