This June 1 Urban Institute report, “Health Care Reform for Children with Public Coverage: How Can Policymakers Maximize Gains and Prevent Harm?,” examines the effect of health care reform on children enrolled in Medicaid and SCHIP.  The report suggests that such children would benefit from increased health coverage for their parents.  The brief also notes that effects of proposals to move the children into health insurance exchanges will vary by the characteristics of those exchanges.  The change may cause them to lose benefits and/or legal protection; however, if reimbursement rates in the exchanges are higher than in public programs, children’s access to care will improve. 

Full report: Health Care Reform for Children with Public Coverage (PDF | 226.46 KB)  

The Urban Institute. (2009). Health care reform for children with public coverage: how can policymakers maximize gains and prevent harm? Kennedy, G.M. and Dorn, S.