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Children's Access to Health Care

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Children's access to health care is critical to their health and development. RAND research on health care access for children includes studies on such topics as health insurance programs for low-income families, vulnerable populations and disparities in health care, improving access to preventive care, and coordination of providers.

Journal Article
Keeping Young Adults Insured Means More Mental Health Care
Lack of insurance has been a barrier to mental health treatment for young adults. The ACA's Dependent Care Expansion, which allows them to stay on their parents' policies until age 26, has increased use of mental health care among this high need group—without affecting quality of care or disparities in access.
Sep 21, 2018
Report
Dr. Dynasaur 2.0: Modeling the Effects of Expanding Vermont's Dr. Dynasaur Program
RAND researchers assessed an expansion of Vermont's Dr. Dynasaur program that would cover all residents age 25 and younger, modeling the effects on health insurance coverage, costs, and premiums.
Jan 18, 2017

Explore Children's Access to Health Care

Journal Article
Access to After-Hours Primary Care: A Key Determinant of Children's Medical Home Status
Accessibility, especially the ability to access health care after regular office hours, appears to be the major predictor of having a medical home among Latino children.
Jan 24, 2023
Journal Article
Effects of Medicaid Automatic Enrollment on Disparities in Insurance Coverage and Caregiver Burden for Children with Special Health Care Needs
We analyze how Medicaid automatic enrollment policies for children with special health care needs who are enrolled in Supplemental Security Income reduce disparities in health insurance coverage and caregiving burden.
Aug 23, 2022
Journal Article
Ongoing Disparities in Digital and In-Person Access to Child Psychiatric Services in the United States
Although telehealth holds promise for promoting access to child and adolescent psychiatric services, large disparities in overall access to services persists in rural and low-income communities.
Mar 24, 2022
Report
Access to Health Care Among TRICARE-Covered Children
Analyses of survey data allow a comparison between children with TRICARE and other types of insurance, as well as between children who have changed addresses more and less frequently and children with special health care needs and those without.
Nov 8, 2021
Journal Article
Homeless Children and Young People: A Review of Interventions Supporting Access to Healthcare Services
One of the many risks associated with a lack of secure housing is difficulty in accessing healthcare. This research note looks at the healthcare needs of homeless children and young people and identifies interventions that support them.
Sep 14, 2021
Journal Article
Impact of a Medicaid Policy on Preventive Oral Health Services for Children with Intellectual Disabilities, Developmental Disabilities, or Both
The authors examined the impact of state policies allowing delivery of POHS in medical offices on receipt of POHS among Medicaid enrollees with IDD.
Feb 12, 2021
Journal Article
Low Rates of Pediatric Dental Coverage for Families Purchasing Marketplace Insurance Plans
Pediatric dental care is an essential health benefit that the Affordable Care Act requires most private health plans to cover. It is unknown how these different pediatric dental coverage offerings may affect uptake of coverage.
Feb 12, 2021
Journal Article
Impact of State-Level Training Requirements for Medical Providers on Receipt of Preventive Oral Health Services for Young Children Enrolled in Medicaid
Our objective was to test whether training requirements were associated with higher rates of preventive oral health services for Medicaid-enrolled children <6 years.
Feb 11, 2021
Journal Article
Delivery of Preventive Oral Health Services by Rurality: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
Using a multistate sample of Medicaid claims, we examined a child's odds of receiving preventive oral health services in a medical office by county rurality.
Feb 2, 2021
Journal Article
Changes in Pediatric Dental Coverage and Visits Following the Implementation of the Affordable Care Act
Comparing pre- and post-ACA periods, private dental insurance increased by 4.6% (P=0.013) and annual dental visits were unchanged (2.7%, P=0.071) comparing children likely or unlikely to be affected by the ACA.
Feb 2, 2021
Journal Article
Growth and Distribution of Child Psychiatrists in the United States: 2007–2016
Despite the increased ratio of child psychiatrists per children over the past decade, a shortage remains, particularly in places with lower levels of income and education.
Nov 6, 2019
Journal Article
Detecting and Reducing Post-Traumatic Stress Among Children Exposed to Domestic Violence: A Multi-Agency Early Intervention Program
This study examined the Child Trauma Response Team and its efforts to reduce PTSD symptoms among children exposed to domestic violence.
Aug 20, 2019
Journal Article
Geographic Access to International Board-Certified Lactation Consultants in Pennsylvania
Most children in Pennsylvania live within 30 miles of an international board-certified lactation consultant; however, this is true for a smaller percentage of children in rural counties.
Aug 24, 2018
Journal Article
Identifying Policy Implications and Future Research Directions Regarding Military Community Support and Child Psychosocial Adjustment
Efforts to organize and consolidate the wide range of support services designed to bolster resilience in military families could enhance service members' mission readiness.
Jun 7, 2017
Journal Article
Family Perspectives on Telemedicine for Pediatric Subspecialty Care
Innovative uses of telemedicine - such as previsit communication and postvisit follow up - could improve care by optimizing, rather than replacing, in-person visits.
May 30, 2017
Journal Article
Strategies to Reduce Hospitalizations of Children with Medical Complexity Through Complex Care: Expert Perspectives
Children with medical complexity (CMC) account for disproportionately high hospital use. Researchers developed a structured, reproducible process for the creation of intervention strategies to reduce hospitalizations among CMC.
Mar 14, 2017
Journal Article
New Parent Home Visiting Program Reduces Infants' Need for Medical Care
Infants whose families took part in a new parent home visit program were less likely to visit the emergency room and made fewer primary care visits during their first year of life. The program benefited at-risk families and those who had no risk factors.
Jan 27, 2017
News Release
New Parent Home Visiting Program Reduces Infants' Need for Medical Care During First Year of Life
Infants whose families participated in a new parent home visit program were less likely to visit the emergency room and made fewer primary care doctor visits during their first year of life. The program benefited both families who were at risk for problems, and those who had no risk factors.
Dec 15, 2016
Journal Article
Financial Loss for Inpatient Care of Medicaid-insured Children
Medicaid financial losses at children's hospitals greatly exceed losses at other types of hospitals.
Nov 28, 2016

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RAND Health Care