Evaluation of the Children's Health Insurance Program: New Evidence on Coverage, Access and Health Status

Lynn Blewett, University of Minnesota
Jeanette Ziegenfuss, Mayo Clinic
Sharon K. Long, University of Minnesota

Low-income children have been the focus of public health insurance coverage since the passage of Medicaid in 1965. More recent expansions of coverage include the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) of 1997 and its reauthorizing legislation in 2009 (CHIPRA). There is evidence to support the fact that the CHIP program led to significant gains in insurance coverage for children. A comprehensive evaluation of CHIP conducted for 1998-2006 found significant improvements in health insurance coverage, access to care and health outcomes (Mathematica 2007). The current study is an update of that evaluation using data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) for 1997 to 2010. We examine changes over time relative to CHIP and CHIPRA for children overall and by key age and income groups. Study findings highlight the important gains achieved with the CHIP/CHIPRA initiatives and the gaps that remain for children in coverage, access to care, and health status.