Dollars no longer spent on emergency care can be invested in other important health care and economic initiatives. Many families indicate the process of completing Medicaid enrollment takes a day or more. With the exception of Texas and Utah, every state in the nation has taken significant steps to simplify Medicaid eligibility for children. Three Texas bipartisan legislative interim studies, including the Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Uninsured, reached the same conclusion. Simplifying children's Medicaid is good business.
Uninsured children are more likely to harbor long-term health problems that are costlier to treat.
Insuring children promotes healthier economies Assuring that Medicaid eligible children are enrolled in Medicaid will benefit not only parents and children, but also the health care community and the entire economy. Medicaid is a joint effort between federal and state governments. In Texas, the federal government pays 60 percent of Medicaid expenditures. Assuring that Medicaid eligible children enroll in the program benefits small employers, which often cannot afford to offer health insurance to their employees or dependents. Medicaid, like CHIP, also benefits large employers by reducing cost-shifting for uncompensated care.