Changing Nature of Public and Private Health Insurance.Image.Marked文档.pdfVIP

Changing Nature of Public and Private Health Insurance Brigid Goody, Sc.D., Renee Mentnech, M.S., and Gerald Riley, M.S.P.H. BACKGROUND by Federal statutes, States develop and administer their own Medicaid policies for While approximately 42 million Americans eligibility, services, and provider pay­ lack health insurance coverage (Kaiser ments. Over the years, eligibility has been Commission on Medicaid and the expanded incrementally to additional popu­ Uninsured, 2001), the vast majority of lations including low-income pregnant Americans are covered for their health women, poor children, and some Medicare care expenditures by a complicated array beneficiaries with low income and limited of public and private programs. Private resources (Rowland and Garfield, 2000). health insurance coverage grew rapidly In 1997, Congress established the State during World War II as employers provided Children’s Health Insurance Program coverage as a fringe benefit to their employees (SCHIP) under Title XXI of the Social in response to Federal Government wage Security Act. SCHIP is designed to encour­ controls. Today, many individuals contin­ age States to extend Medicaid eligibility to ue to receive their coverage through their a greater number of uninsured children. In employers. 2001, approximately 34 million Americans It was not until 1965 that Congress received health insurance coverage in any passed histo