Satisfaction and Care-Seeking: Children in Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program

This study, utilizing a nationally representative sample of children who receive healthcare services from Medicaid or the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), seeks to determine whether parents of children covered by Medicaid managed care plans are less satisfied with the quality of services provided to their children than are parents with children in traditional fee-for-service Medicaid plans. In addition, the study examines a subset of children that did not receive an office-based physician visit in a twelve-month period and considers the various factors associated with care-seeking. Patient-reported satisfaction with healthcare is increasingly used as a proxy for the quality of care provided. Further, research indicates that satisfied patients are more likely to comply with recommended courses of treatment and may subsequently experience positive health outcomes. Given the barriers associated with the managed care delivery model, is there a difference between satisfaction of parents whose children receive care through the managed care model and those whose children are covered by the traditional fee-for-service model; and, within the Medicaid/SCHIP population, which children are most at risk for not receiving care?