Comments on: CHILDREN: The U.S. Doesn’t Put Its Money Where Its Mouth Is http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2007/03/20/children-the-us-doesnt-put-its-money-where-its-mouth-is/ The Policy Journal of the Health Sphere Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:43:15 +0000 hourly 1 By: David Catron http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2007/03/20/children-the-us-doesnt-put-its-money-where-its-mouth-is/comment-page-1/#comment-1760 David Catron Wed, 21 Mar 2007 13:17:24 +0000 http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2007/03/20/children-the-us-doesnt-put-its-money-where-its-mouth-is/#comment-1760 I’m not convinced that congressional ambivalence on the issue of SCHIP funding can be attributed to insufficient national emphasis on the well-being of children. Grace-Marie Turner points out in the WSJ (March 17) that much of the money allocated for SCHIP has been diverted to adult patients. She provides a variety of examples, including the following: "In 2005, 87 percent of Minnesota's SCHIP enrollees were adults, as were 66 percent of those enrolled in Wisconsin's program … In Arizona—which has one of the highest rates of uninsured children in the nation—56 percent of those enrolled in SCHIP were adults." In other words, these and other states are deliberately misallocating SCHIP funds. So, the problem here is not some sort of national callousness toward children, but rather a legitimate concern about bureaucratic mismanagement of a program specifically designed to provide for the health care of those children. I’m not convinced that congressional ambivalence on the issue of SCHIP funding can be attributed to insufficient national emphasis on the well-being of children. Grace-Marie Turner points out in the WSJ (March 17) that much of the money allocated for SCHIP has been diverted to adult patients. She provides a variety of examples, including the following:

“In 2005, 87 percent of Minnesota’s SCHIP enrollees were adults, as were 66 percent of those enrolled in Wisconsin’s program … In Arizona—which has one of the highest rates of uninsured children in the nation—56 percent of those enrolled in SCHIP were adults.”

In other words, these and other states are deliberately misallocating SCHIP funds. So, the problem here is not some sort of national callousness toward children, but rather a legitimate concern about bureaucratic mismanagement of a program specifically designed to provide for the health care of those children.

]]> By: Health Care BS » Blog Archive http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2007/03/20/children-the-us-doesnt-put-its-money-where-its-mouth-is/comment-page-1/#comment-1755 Health Care BS » Blog Archive Wed, 21 Mar 2007 02:55:15 +0000 http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2007/03/20/children-the-us-doesnt-put-its-money-where-its-mouth-is/#comment-1755 [...] A variety of commentators, including Sarah Dine, have attributed congressional ambivalence on the issue of expanded SCHIP funding to insufficient national emphasis on the wellbeing of children. However, as Grace-Marie Turner points out, much of the money allocated for SCHIP has been diverted to adult patients. She provides a variety of examples, including the following: [...] [...] A variety of commentators, including Sarah Dine, have attributed congressional ambivalence on the issue of expanded SCHIP funding to insufficient national emphasis on the wellbeing of children. However, as Grace-Marie Turner points out, much of the money allocated for SCHIP has been diverted to adult patients. She provides a variety of examples, including the following: [...]

]]> By: Health for a Long Happy Life » CHILDREN: The US Doesn’t Put Its Money Where Its Mouth Is http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2007/03/20/children-the-us-doesnt-put-its-money-where-its-mouth-is/comment-page-1/#comment-1753 Health for a Long Happy Life » CHILDREN: The US Doesn’t Put Its Money Where Its Mouth Is Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:27:29 +0000 http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2007/03/20/children-the-us-doesnt-put-its-money-where-its-mouth-is/#comment-1753 [...] Original post by Sarah Dine [...] [...] Original post by Sarah Dine [...]

]]> By: Neil Gardner http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2007/03/20/children-the-us-doesnt-put-its-money-where-its-mouth-is/comment-page-1/#comment-1752 Neil Gardner Tue, 20 Mar 2007 23:07:33 +0000 http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2007/03/20/children-the-us-doesnt-put-its-money-where-its-mouth-is/#comment-1752 Jane Hiebert-White Jane Hiebert-White wrote about: Children’s Dental Health Improvement Act of 2007 (S. 739) “to improve the access to and delivery of dental care to uninsured. --------------- For future lesson planning, I think it is very informative to note that Medicaid kids are insured and have been since 1965. Still year after year, they have no or minimal access despite the insurance. We can introduce ten more years of Children’s Dental Health Improvement Acts and still get no where until we deal with a system that has no social mission and providers that have to make a living on people with real money! Jane Hiebert-White Jane Hiebert-White wrote about:

Children’s Dental Health Improvement Act of 2007 (S. 739) “to improve the access to and delivery of dental care to uninsured.
—————
For future lesson planning, I think it is very informative to note that Medicaid kids are insured and have been since 1965. Still year after year, they have no or minimal access despite the insurance. We can introduce ten more years of Children’s Dental Health Improvement Acts and still get no where until we deal with a system that has no social mission and providers that have to make a living on people with real money!

]]> By: Jane Hiebert-White http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2007/03/20/children-the-us-doesnt-put-its-money-where-its-mouth-is/comment-page-1/#comment-1748 Jane Hiebert-White Tue, 20 Mar 2007 22:06:20 +0000 http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2007/03/20/children-the-us-doesnt-put-its-money-where-its-mouth-is/#comment-1748 After the recent death of a 12-year-old boy in the Maryland suburbs of DC, Maryland's new senator Ben Cardin, along with Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) introduced early this month the Children's Dental Health Improvement Act of 2007 (S. 739) "to improve the access to and delivery of dental care to uninsured children through a number of steps, including allowing states flexibility to cover dental services through the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP)." This tragedy appears to be leading to new attention to dental care on Capitol Hill. After the recent death of a 12-year-old boy in the Maryland suburbs of DC, Maryland’s new senator Ben Cardin, along with Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) introduced early this month
the Children’s Dental Health Improvement Act of 2007 (S. 739) “to improve the access to and delivery of dental care to uninsured children through a number of steps, including allowing states flexibility to cover dental services through the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP).”

This tragedy appears to be leading to new attention to dental care on Capitol Hill.

]]> By: Neil Gardner http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2007/03/20/children-the-us-doesnt-put-its-money-where-its-mouth-is/comment-page-1/#comment-1746 Neil Gardner Tue, 20 Mar 2007 18:15:46 +0000 http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2007/03/20/children-the-us-doesnt-put-its-money-where-its-mouth-is/#comment-1746 I have a related story to tell about children and access to care, specifically, dental care!. Sometimes you can have a program that will pay for care, but still not have access, and what does that mean for the future??? Let's look at dental care for the poor. The federal and state governments taken together have done several hypocritical things related to access to care here for poor children. First through the licensure procedure, these government entities have created a monopoly for dentists in that only dentists can legally treat dental disease. Second, these same governments have decided that dental care for poor children is important enough that the government will pay for such care. However, the monopoly dental profession that these governments have created almost unanimously refuses to see these kids, as shown by the 20-25% access rate that Medicaid children have. These children also have by far the most dental disease. How do folks think this conundrum of payment with no access should be handled in the future? Should licensed health professionals by forced to see these state paid children somehow?? If we went to a single payer system, would that solve the problem, and/but would there be enough providers to do the job?? I have a related story to tell about children and access to care, specifically, dental care!. Sometimes you can have a program that will pay for care, but still not have access, and what does that mean for the future???

Let’s look at dental care for the poor. The federal and state governments taken together have done several hypocritical things related to access to care here for poor children. First through the licensure procedure, these government entities have created a monopoly for dentists in that only dentists can legally treat dental disease. Second, these same governments have decided that dental care for poor children is important enough that the government will pay for such care. However, the monopoly dental profession that these governments have created almost unanimously refuses to see these kids, as shown by the 20-25% access rate that Medicaid children have. These children also have by far the most dental disease.

How do folks think this conundrum of payment with no access should be handled in the future? Should licensed health professionals by forced to see these state paid children somehow?? If we went to a single payer system, would that solve the problem, and/but would there be enough providers to do the job??

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