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Chipping Away at a Middle Ground

(an essay regarding the Children’s Health Improvement Program or C.H.I.P.)

The Children’s Health Improvement program (CHIP) offers a beneficial advantage to


children because it presents a middle ground for parents whose level of income
disqualifies them from acceptance into programs such as Medicaid. On the other
hand, those parents may also still be at a financial disadvantage in terms of affording
independent forms of coverage. According to statistics, a poll taken in 2010 revealed
that as many as 7,705,723 children were enrolled (Insurekidsnow.gov, 2010) under
the coverage of CHIP.

According to the additional statistics, there are 7.2 million young people who are
without insurance in this country (CDF, 2012). Therefore, the CHIP program is
helping to close the gap between those children who are with health insurance and
those who are without insurance. Unfortunately, at least half of those young people
are actually eligible for this program, and are either unaware that they are eligible
or are prevented from enrolling due to bureaucratic issues (CDF, 2). Based upon a
bill that was endorsed both by President Obama and congress; this newly signed bill
proposes to help 4.1 million children to get coverage (Barlas, 2013), so that they too
can be insured.

Unfortunately, even though this program was developed for and functions to
provide assistance for those families who happen to fall into a middle category
social economically. This program happens to suffer from rendering minority
cultures and communities from receiving as much support as more affluent
communities. According to research, the communities of Black and Hispanic
families are not receiving funding support at as much of a proportionate as white
and more affluent communities (Choi, Benjamin, McWilliams, 2011). Hopefully, these
disproportionate dispersements in funding for memberships recruitment efforts and
enrollments can realigned going forward, in order than all children of all groups are
allotted well-ness and well baby examinations, surgeries, dental, x-ray, hospital and lab
services because these are all necessary medical services that all children need.

References:

Barlas, S. (2009). Mental health parity within CHIP. Psychiatric Times, Vol. 26(3), pp.
34-35. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.library.capella.edu/docview/204640492?accountid=27965

Children’s Defense. (2012). Policy Priorities: Children’s Health. Retrieved from


http://www.childrensdefense.org/policy-priorities/childrens-health/

Choi, M, M.D., M.P.H., S, Benjamin D, M.D., PhD., & McWilliams, J. M. (2011).


Children's health insurance and access to care during and after the CHIP expansion
period. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. Vol. 22(2), Pp. 576-89.
Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.library.capella.edu/docview/868334277?accountid=27965

Insurekidsnow.gov. (2010). FY 2010 Number of Children Ever Enrolled in Medicaid


and CHIP. Retrieved from http://www.medicaid.gov/Medicaid-CHIP-Program-
Information/By-Topics/Childrens-Health-Insurance-Program-
CHIP/Downloads/2010_enrollment_datapdf.pdf

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