Based on information from the AHRQ's Medical Expenditure Panel Survey and Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, the report's findings include:

• The percentage of children uninsured for an entire year declined from 10.4 percent in 1996 to 7.7 percent in 1999 (from 7 million to 5.3 million).

• The percentage of children hospitalized dropped 45 percent between 1987 and 1999.

• The gap between publicly and privately insured children who did not report a problem getting needed care narrowed from 2000 (a 9.9 percent difference) to 2001 (a 3.7 percent difference).

• Parents of publicly insured and uninsured children were more than twice as likely as parents of privately-insured children to report that health care providers never or sometimes listened carefully to them, explained things carefully, or showed them respect.
• The percent of total expenditures on children's health care decreased significantly from 14 percent in 1987 to 10 percent in 1999. Costs associated with hospital outpatient and emergency room visits declined, while those associated with office visits increased.

"Despite our gains in insuring more children," Dr. Simpson said, "we're spending less of our overall health care dollars on children."

The question remains whether this is due to more emphasis on primary and preventive care and less use of inpatient services, or if other factors, like barriers to care, might contribute to reduced spending for children's health, Dr. Simpson said.

The researchers plan to continue to focus on disparities in children's health care in future issues of the report. Other authors of the report were Marc Zodet, MS; France Chevarley, PhD;
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Contact: Anne DeLotto Baier
abaier@hsc.usf.edu
813-974-3300
University of South Florida Health
15-Mar-2004