It is hard to imagine sick children could be seriously implicated and affected by public insurance disparities…federal law, after all, prohibits discirminatory treatment between patients who receive public vs. private insurance. But what about acceptance into such facilities, before they are patients?
A new study examining facilities in Illinois claims “Sick children covered by Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) must wait twice as long as youngsters with private insurance to get an appointment with a specialist.” (Reuters Health).
According to one of the authors, “this [study] is the first to take a comprehensive look at specialty care in children.”
We’ve reported on the growing number of young people in nursing homes and the problems that can arise. We noted in our January 10 post, “[that]more than 200,000 people living in such facilities under the age of 65.” Let’s hope this study serves as a wake-up call.