Why Aren't More Uninsured Children Enrolled in Medicaid or SCHIP?

Although most uninsured children appear to be eligible for public health insurance coverage, parents interviewed in the 1999 National Survey of America's Families give a variety of reasons for not enrolling their children in public health insurance programs. Among the reasons: insufficient knowledge about the programs (32 percent); administrative hassles associated with enrollment (10 percent); not wanting public insurance for their children or feeling such insurance is not needed (22 percent). This leads researchers to question whether the current emphasis on education and outreach is sufficient to increase program participation.