Study shows Child Health Plus works

Szilagyi

The proof, they say, is in a three-year study of children statewide who joined New York's Child Health Plus program after being without health insurance. Most were from families classified as "working poor"--earning too little money to afford health insurance, but making too much to be eligible for Medicaid. Child Health Plus, started in 1991, offers these families health insurance for their children at significantly reduced prices.

"I think the results of this study are screaming out to us that children need to be covered by health insurance," said Peter Szilagyi, associate professor of pediatrics and the study's lead author. "The data shows that if you give children health insurance, you will improve their lives."

The study was published in last month's issue of Pediatrics. The findings indicate that those with Child Health Plus were not only more likely to have a primary care physician than those without health insurance, they were also more likely to actually visit the doctor to receive medical check-ups and treatment.

That was especially the case in New York City, one of four regions of the state that researchers studied. Regardless of where in the state they lived, though, parents overwhelmingly said the quality of care their children received improved after joining Child Health Plus, as did their satisfaction with the medical community.

Researchers at CHS have been working for nearly a decade to investigate ways to improve the health care of uninsured, poor, and vulnerable children. Led by Szilagyi, another team is currently playing a significant role in an unparalleled effort to understand how to improve health care for the nation's most vulnerable children.

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