Learning from SCHIP I and Learning from SCHIP II

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As part of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was enacted. SCHIP makes nearly $40 billion of Federal funds available to States over a 10-year period. The legislation allows States considerable flexibility in designing health insurance programs for low-income uninsured children. The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research's (AHCPR) Center for Organizational and Delivery Studies (CODS) played a key role in organizing two meetings to discuss studying SCHIP and its effects.

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In March 1998, AHCPR, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), the Health Resource and Services Administration (HRSA), and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation convened "Learning from SCHIP I: Potential for Collaboration." Representatives from these organizations and other private foundations, Federal agencies, and State associations met to exchange information about public and private efforts to study SCHIP and begin the process of identifying key research questions and exploring opportunities for future collaboration.

"Learning from SCHIP II: Critical Issues in Research," was held in June 1998 to build upon the earlier meeting. The June meeting added researchers to the participants, asking them to share their expertise with foundation and representatives from the Department of Health and Human Services. Three national experts in child health research gave brief presentations as a catalyst to the discussion:

1. Neal Halfon, M.D., M.P.H., of the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families, and Communities, spoke on SCHIP enrollment and impact on access.
2. Charles Homer, M.D., of the Boston Children's Hospital, spoke on SCHIP's impact on quality.
3. Alan Weil, J.D., M.P.P., of the Urban Institute, spoke on system change and SCHIP's impact on health care markets.

Discussions at the two meetings made it clear that the Internet is a resource for SCHIP researchers and evaluations. Below are sample links to instruments and databases that those who wish to learn from SCHIP may find valuable.

SCHIP-LEARN Links

Department of Health and Human Services Sites Agency for Health Care Policy and Research

Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) (http://www.ahrq.gov/data/hcup/) Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) (http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/)

Children's Health 1996 (http://www.ahrq.gov/research/chrtbk1/chrtbk1a.htm)

Consumer Assessment of Health Plans (CAHPS®) (http://www.ahrq.govhttp://www.cahps.ahrq.gov/)

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation

Children's Health Insurance Issues (http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/schip/schiphome.htm)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Immunization Surveys (http://www.cdc.gov/nis/)

Youth Risk Behavior Survey (http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/yrbs/index.htm)

Catalog of Electronic Products (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/elec_prods/elec_prods.htm), including: National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, National Health Interview Survey, National Health Provider Inventory, National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, National Hospital Discharge Survey, National Maternal and Infant Health Survey, National Survey of Ambulatory Surgery.

CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)—State and Local Area Integrated Telephone Survey (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/slaits.htm)

Sexually Transmitted Disease Reports (http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/dstd/Stats_Trends/Stats_and_Trends.htm)

Health Care Financing Administration

Children's Health Insurance Program (http://www.cms.hhs.gov/home/schip.asp)

Other Sites

American Academy of Pediatrics—Title XXI/State Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Eligibility Reports (http://www.aap.org/advocacy/schipef.htm)

Annie E. Casey Foundation—Kids Count (http://www.aecf.org/kidscount/index.htm)

Bureau of Labor Statistic—Economic indicators (http://www.bls.gov/eag/)

Center for Health Care Strategies—Toolkit to help State agencies and health plans increase the quality of health care provided to Medicaid and SCHIP enrollees: Toward Improving Birth Outcomes Toolkit (http://www.chcs.org/)

National Committee on Quality Assurance—Quality Compass database (http://www.ncqa.org/tabid/177/Default.aspx)

Urban Institute's Assessing the New Federalism—The National Survey of America's Families (http://newfederalism.urban.org/html/nsaf.htm)

Current as of February 2000

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