More families buoyed by strong economic growth is one possible reason why the number of children enrolled in public health programs has decreased. (Photo: Shutterstock)
There was a “precipitous drop” in the number of kids enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) – likely due to the elimination of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and reduction in communication outreach efforts, but also maybe because many families' incomes grew enough in the strong economy to get bumped out of the government programs.
Enrollment fell by nearly 600,000, to 35.4 million children in the first 11 months of 2018, according to U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data. Speculation by state officials for the underlying causes of the drop was across the board, posted in an article on Pew Trust's Stateline blog.
“I'm sure Idaho's strong economy is playing a role,” enabling families to leave public health programs, guessed Niki Forbing-Orr, spokeswoman for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. Idaho recorded one of the largest percentage drops (6.7 percent).
Continue Reading for Free
Register and gain access to:
- Breaking benefits news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Katie Kuehner-Hebert
Katie Kuehner-Hebert is a freelance writer based in Running Springs, Calif. She has more than three decades of journalism experience, with particular expertise in employee benefits and other human resource topics.
