Findings have significant implications for the current SCHIP debate

ALEXANDRIA, VA –First Focus, a bipartisan advocacy organization for children, in conjunction with The George Washington University Medical Center’s School of Public Health and Health Services, released a report today demonstrating that children benefit greatly when their parents have healthcare coverage.

The report, authored by Sara Rosenbaum, JD, and Ramona Perez Trevino Whittington, illustrates that the enrollment of parents in public insurance programs, such as the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), results in greater participation by their children, as well as improvements in the continuity of the child’s health coverage. The report further notes that parental coverage appears to be associated with a more effective use of the child’s healthcare coverage.

According to the authors, “Offering coverage for parents–especially low-income parents who are extensively uninsured and who may have significant unmet health needs–appears to operate as an incentive for families to both seek and use coverage. Low-income parents who are uninsured have significantly reduced rates of healthcare use; coverage of parents appears to offer an important strategy for increasing access to, and use of, appropriate healthcare. Like other parents, low-income parents who enroll in coverage also seek benefits for their children.”

“As a children’s advocacy organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of children, we commissioned the report to obtain an objective and evidence-based examination of the issue of whether parents should be covered with their children in SCHIP,” said Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus.

“The data is clear. Waivers that have been granted by the Clinton and Bush administrations to provide coverage for adults have led to increases in coverage, fewer interruptions in care and a greater value for children,” added Lesley. “Policymakers must keep these findings in mind when casting critical votes regarding the flexibility of SCHIP to cover adults.”

“Abundant evidence suggests the value of extending coverage to families. If the welfare of children is paramount, the question then becomes how best to invest available Medicaid and SCHIP resources to achieve family coverage whenever possible,” said Rosenbaum.

The report also makes the point that coverage for children provided through Medicaid or SCHIP, or through tax credits, is paid for through public financing and both involve enrollment in private health plan coverage.

“Unfortunately, the Administration’s tax credit alternative to SCHIP coverage for children is not a viable alternative because it completely shortchanges families by literally providing no funding at all for children,” added Lesley. “According to recent reviews of the Administration’s tax proposal, the proposed tax credit of $7,500 for individuals and $15,000 for families would cover the added spouse through the doubling of the credit, but it would not cover their children at all, as the cost of family coverage is 2.7 times that of individuals.”

The report analyzes research published since 2000 that explores the relationship between public health insurance coverage of parents and the rate and effectiveness of coverage among children,
The full report can be downloaded at :
http://www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/healthpolicy/chsrp/
downloads/Parental_Health_Insurance_Report.pdf; or http://www.firstfocus.net/

At least a dozen Senators have articulated their commitment to ensure states are allowed to keep the flexibility to cover adults through the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Their statements are attached.

First Focus is a bipartisan advocacy organization that is committed to making children and their families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions. To learn more, visit www.firstfocus.net.

The George Washington University Medical Center is an internationally recognized interdisciplinary academic health center that has consistently provided high-quality medical care in the Washington, DC metropolitan area for 176 years. The Medical Center comprises the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, the 11th oldest medical school in the country; the School of Public Health and Health Services, the only such school in the nation’s capital; GW Hospital, jointly owned and operated by a partnership between The George Washington University and Universal Health Services, Inc.; and the GW Medical Faculty Associates, an independent faculty practice plan. For more information on GWUMC, visit www.gwumc.edu.
Report: Parental Health Insurance Coverage as Child Health Policy: Evidence from the Literature