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Partial-Year Insurance Coverage and the Health Care Utilization of Children

University of Wisconsin-Madison

A large literature examines the effects of health insurance on the health care utilization of children; however, most existing studies conceptualize coverage as a point-in-time measure rather than as a dynamic phenomenon. The major contribution of this article is its provision of estimates on the relationship between the duration of coverage over the course of a calendar year and health care utilization among children. Using child-level fixed-effects regression, we find that an incremental uninsured month is associated with a 0.7 percentage point decline in the probability of receiving a visit over the course of a year and a 3% decrease in the number of visits received. Children with intrayear coverage losses are more likely than those with continuous coverage to lose their usual source of care, which serves as a potential mechanism through which short gaps in coverage may lead to longer-term decrements in utilization.

Key Words: utilization • health insurance • access • children

This version was published on February 1, 2009

Medical Care Research and Review, Vol. 66, No. 1, 49-67 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1077558708324341


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