Amid the gloom of declining household income and recalcitrant poverty rates, last week’s Census numbers provided this kernel of good news: the uninsured rate for children in North Carolina continued to fall, declining from 10 percent in 2011 to 9 percent in 2012.
A recent report from the Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation estimates that 118,000 uninsured children in North Carolina are eligible for Medicaid and CHIP, but are currently not enrolled. There are a variety of reasons why eligible children lack coverage: Their parents may not know where or how to apply for public health insurance, they might not feel like their family needs assistance or they may simply be unaware of their children’s eligibility.
In addition to these uptake issues—challenges that prevent eligible children from enrolling—a growing body of literature suggests retention issues like dropout and gaps in coverage caused by complicated renewal processes (called “churning”) also play a significant role in the problem.
From enabling access to basic health care services to preventing problems that can make a difference for a lifetime, health insurance matters for children. Chronically uninsured children, as well as children whose coverage has lapsed, have lower rates of check-ups and vaccinations, miss more school days due to illness, and are more likely to forgo needed care when they fall ill than children who have consistent insurance coverage.
On October 1, more than 1 million uninsured North Carolinians will have the option to shop for, compare and enroll in quality health coverage through North Carolina’s federally administered Health Insurance Marketplace. Because a single application will be used to determine eligibility for private insurance, Medicaid and CHIP for every member of the household, the Marketplace will help identify children who are eligible, but not participating in public health insurance programs.
As with any major change there may be gliches during rollout, but the new Marketplace will simplify Medicaid and CHIP enrollment for families in North Carolina, and help keep more children connected to health insurance coverage.
Open enrollment in the Marketplace starts October 1 and runs through March 31, 2014. Health coverage begins January 1, 2014. For more information, visit www.HealthCare.gov.