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THE FAMILY PARTNERS PROJECT:
The Health Care Experiences of Families of Children with Special
Health Care Needs
CHILDREN WITH SECONDARY
HEALTH CARE COVERAGE
A Fact Sheet on Findings
How many and what types of children with special health care needs have, in
addition to their primary health plan, a second health plan? What services are
provided through secondary plans? Is there a relation between having secondary
coverage and use of services? Is there a relation between having secondary
coverage and parental satisfaction with their child’s main health plan?
Methods: Parents
were asked if their child has secondary insurance coverage, and if so, who pays
for the coverage. They also described what the secondary coverage pays for (in
their experience).
Findings:
- Almost two-thirds (61%) of the children were covered by one health plan
only. A third (34%) also had a secondary plan that was paid for by public
funds (such as Medicaid) and a minority (5%) had a secondary plan that was
paid for privately.
- Of those with secondary health plans, parents reported the secondary
plan could or was used to pay for the costs of prescription medications
(58%); the premiums or deductibles of the child’s main health plan
(56%); physical, occupational, speech or other therapies (48%), durable
medical equipment (46%); inpatient hospital care (38%); disposable medical
supplies (37%); outpatient care (36%), home health care (30%); case
management services (19%); and/or transportation expenses (18%).
- Of those who actually received each of the following services, the
secondary health plan paid for at least part of the cost: home health care
(22%), specialty doctor care (16%), mental health services (12%),
prescription medications (15%), physical therapy (10%), occupational
therapy (8%), and speech therapy (6%).
- Parents who have public secondary insurance for their child were more
likely to be married and to have higher levels of education than parents
with no secondary coverage for their child. No differences between these
two groups were observed with respect to income, employment or parental
health.
- Children with public secondary coverage were significantly more likely
to have severe and unstable condition(s) and to be in poorer overall
health than children with no secondary coverage. However, they were less
likely to be member of a racial minority group.
- Having public secondary coverage was associated with significantly
greater receipt of many of the services received by children with special
health care needs, including: care from specialty doctors, therapy from
physical and occupational therapists, home health services, durable and
disposable medications, nutritional counseling, special diets and respite
services.
- Further, having public secondary coverage was associated with more
visits to outpatient specialists and more frequent hospitalizations with
longer hospital stays. These findings regarding more extensive receipt of
services held even when parental socio-demographic characteristics (i.e.
marital status, employment, education, income), health status of the child
(i.e., severity and stability of child conditions, the overall health of
the child) and the child’s race were statistically controlled.
Additional information about the survey and its results can be
obtained from: www.familyvoices.org
or by contacting:
Nora Wells, Family Voices nwells@fcsn.org
1/888-835-5669
Marty Wyngaarden Krauss, Ph.D., Brandeis University krauss@brandeis.edu
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