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How Did SCHIP Affect the Insurance Coverage of Immigrant Children?

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  • Thomas Buchmueller
  • Anthony Lo Sasso
  • Kathleen Wong

Abstract

The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) significantly expanded public insurance eligibility and coverage for children in "working poor" families. Despite this success, it is estimated that over 6 million children who are eligible for public insurance remain uninsured. An important first step for designing strategies to increase enrollment of eligible but uninsured children is to determine how the take-up of public coverage varies within the population. Because of their low rates of insurance coverage and unique enrollment barriers, children of immigrants are an especially important group to consider. We compare the effect of SCHIP eligibility on the insurance coverage of children of foreign-born and native-born parents. In contrast to research on the earlier Medicaid expansions, we find similar take-up rates for the two groups. This suggests that state outreach strategies were not only effective at increasing take-up overall, but were successful in reducing disparities in access to coverage.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas Buchmueller & Anthony Lo Sasso & Kathleen Wong, 2007. "How Did SCHIP Affect the Insurance Coverage of Immigrant Children?," NBER Working Papers 13261, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:13261
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    Cited by:

    1. Averett, Susan L. & Smith, Julie K. & Wang, Yang, 2019. "Minimum Wages and the Health and Access to Care of Immigrants' Children," IZA Discussion Papers 12606, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Aig Unuigbe, 2019. "Impact of medicaid policy changes on immigrant parents," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 395-417, December.
    3. Keshar M. Ghimire, 2018. "Impact of children's health insurance benefit on labor supply of adults: evidence from newly arrived immigrants," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 38(1), pages 234-247.
    4. David W. Brown & Amanda E. Kowalski & Ithai Z. Lurie, 2015. "Medicaid as an Investment in Children: What is the Long-Term Impact on Tax Receipts"," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 1979, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University.
    5. Tara Watson, 2014. "Inside the Refrigerator: Immigration Enforcement and Chilling Effects in Medicaid Participation," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 6(3), pages 313-338, August.
    6. Brandyn Churchill, 2021. "E‐Verify mandates and unauthorized immigrants' health insurance coverage," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 88(2), pages 487-526, October.
    7. Chen, Chia-Ching & Yamada, Tetsuji & Smith, John & Chiu, I-Ming, 2011. "Improving children's healthcare through state health insurance programs: An emerging need," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(1), pages 72-82, January.
    8. Bronchetti, Erin Todd, 2014. "Public insurance expansions and the health of immigrant and native children," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 205-219.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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