| Abstract: |
Of the ten million uninsured children in 1996, nearly half were eligible for
Medicaid, the public health insurance program for poor families, but not
enrolled. In response, policy efforts to improve coverage have shifted to
increasing Medicaid take-up among those already eligible rather than expanding
eligibility. However, little is known about the reasons poor families fail to
use public programs or the consequences of failing to enroll. The latter is of
particular relevance to Medicaid given that children are typically enrolled
when they become sufficiently sick as to require hospitalization. Using new
data on Medicaid outreach, enrollment and child hospitalizations in
California, I find that information and administrative costs are important
barriers to program enrollment, with the latter particularly true for Hispanic
and Asian families. In addition, enrolling children in Medicaid before they
get sick promotes the use of preventative care, reduces the need for
hospitalization and improves health. |