Health Affairs

Health Affairs, 28, no. 6 (2009): w1025-w1036 (Published online 17 September 2009) doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.28.6.w1025 © 2009 by Project HOPE	New Online   Getting Health Reform Done   After the State of the Union   Incremental Reform   E-Health in Developing World   Most-Read Articles in 2009

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Containing Costs And Improving Care For Children In Medicaid And CHIP

Genevieve M. Kenney, Joel Ruhter and Thomas M. Selden

The current health reform debate is greatly concerned with "bending the curve" of cost growth and containing costs, particularly in public programs. Our research demonstrates that spending in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is highly concentrated, particularly among children with chronic health problems. Ten percent of enrollees (two-thirds of whom have a chronic condition) account for 72 percent of the spending; 30 percent of enrolled children receive little or no care. These results highlight the importance of cost containment strategies that reduce avoidable hospitalizations among children with chronic problems and policies that increase preventive care, particularly among African American children.

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