Research Conducted at Northwestern University Has Provided New Information about Pediatrics (Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program: Optimization To Promote Equity In Child and Young Adult Health): Pediatrics

2024 MAR 26 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Politics, Law & Government Daily -- Fresh data on Pediatrics are presented in a new report. According to news reporting originating from Chicago, Illinois, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “The American Academy of Pediatrics envisions a child and adolescent health care system that provides individualized, family-centered, equitable, and comprehensive care that integrates with community resources to help each child and family achieve optimal growth, development, and well-being. All infants, children, adolescents, and young adults should have access to this system.”

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from Northwestern University, “Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provide critical support and foundation for this vision. Together, the programs currently serve about half of all children, many of whom are members of racial and ethnic minoritized populations or have complex medical conditions. Medicaid and CHIP have greatly improved the health and well-being of US infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. This statement reviews key program aspects and proposes both program reforms and enhancements to support a higher-quality, more comprehensive, family-oriented, and equitable system of care that increases access to services, reduces disparities, and improves health outcomes into adulthood. This statement recommends foundational changes in Medicaid and CHIP that can improve child health, achieve greater equity in health and health care, further dismantle structural racism within the programs, and reduce major state-by-state variations. The recommendations focus on (1) eligibility and duration of coverage; (2) standardization of covered services and quality of care; and (3) program financing and payment. In addition to proposed foundational changes in the Medicaid and CHIP program structure, the statement indicates stepwise, coordinated actions that regulation from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or federal legislation can accomplish in the shorter term.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “A separate technical report will address the origins and intents of the Medicaid and CHIP programs; the current state of the program including variations across states and payment structures; Medicaid for special populations; program innovations and waivers; and special Medicaid coverage and initiatives.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program: Optimization To Promote Equity In Child and Young Adult Health. Pediatrics, 2023;152(5). Pediatrics can be contacted at: Amer Acad Pediatrics, 345 Park Boulevard, Itasca, Il, United States.

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Jennifer D. Kusma, Northwestern University, Lurie Children’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Dept. of Pediatrics, Chicago, IL 60208, United States. Additional authors for this research include Jean L. Raphael, James M. Perrin and Mark L. Hudak.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2023-064088. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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