Health insurance, whether financed through the public or private sector, is essential for children to access needed care. Without health insurance, children are less likely to receive necessary preventive care, and acute health care when children are sick can leave their families with overwhelming medical bills.
This section reviews the survey’s findings on insurance coverage among CSHCN, including the proportion that have health insurance and the type of coverage (public or private) that they have. For children with insurance, the survey also assesses parents’ perceptions of the adequacy of that coverage. To do this, the survey measured whether the plan offers benefits and services that meet the child’s needs, whether the family considers any costs not covered by the plan to be reasonable, and whether the plan allows the child to see the providers that he or she needs.
Finally, this section assesses the use of other programs and services, such as special education and early intervention services, that help CSHCN meet their medical and education needs.
Topics in this section include:
