Access to Care

A new side-by-side examination of California’s Medicaid program (Medi-Cal) and CHIP program (Healthy Families) shows how these two low-income health coverage programs differ in structure, eligibility, enrollment process, service delivery and scope. This California case study helps to illustrate differences between Medicaid and CHIP.

This policy brief (Publication #2180) provides a national profile of Medicaid-dominated managed care plans – those in which Medicaid enrollees make up at least 75 percent of total enrollment. While recent policy and market forces have encouraged the growth of these plans, basic information about them has been lacking, partly…

This report examines Medicaid eligibility policies and operations in five states – California, Colorado, Florida, Minnesota and Wisconsin – following initial changes introduced by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 and the new Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The study findings suggest that eligibility policy…

Promises and Prospects For Low-Income AmericansThis book explores critical issues affecting access to health care for low-income Americans by assessing the importance of expansions of health coverage for the poor, the emerging challenges providers who serve low-income and uninsured populations face in a rapidly evolving health care delivery system, and…

Employment-Based Health Insurance Coverage and its Decline:The Growing Plight of Low-Wage WorkersThis background paper examines the increase in uninsured workers and the growing disparity in health insurance coverage between low- and high-wage workers. While a larger proportion of higher wage workers had health coverage in 1996 than a decade before,…

Access to health coverage is a challenge for millions of low-income women. Because they are more likely to be low-wage workers and work in industries that don't offer benefits, access to job-based coverage is often problematic. Avenues for assistance are available to some through Medicaid. However, despite the program s…

Racial and ethnic groups in the United States continue to experience major differences in health status compared to the majority white population. Although many factors affect health status, the lack of health insurance and other barriers to obtaining health services markedly diminish minorities’ use of both preventive services and medical…

Recent expansions in public health insurance for children and changes in welfare laws present states with the challenge of identifying and enrolling the large population of uninsured children in their Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP). This study describes and analyzes the outreach and enrollment strategies and systems in…

This chartbook provides an overview of health care spending and trends in health plan enrollment. It highlights health insurance premiums and costs, health insurance benefits, the structure of the health care market. Data on the stock markets role within the health care industry and implications of health insurance trends for…

State Children’s Health Insurance Program Summary November 1997 Nearly 10 million children are uninsured, often resulting in difficulties in obtaining needed health care. To expand coverage to low-income uninsured children, Congress enacted the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) as part of the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997 (P.L.…