Quality health care is vital in the development of physically and emotionally healthy children. In Texas, approximately 23 percent of children were uninsured in 2005, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Kids Count Data Center. Texas provides a number of services to help parents fill the gap between health care need and affordability. In addition, health-care reforms expected to be made as of 2010 will make it easier for parents to find and pay for quality health care in the future.
Statistics
Texas is the second-largest state in the United States. It was home to nearly 6.5 million children and youths in 2007, according to the Kids Count Data Center. Of this number, more than 1.5 million lived in poverty in 2007 and 1.4 million were uninsured in 2005. Uninsured children are at the greatest risk for going without the medical care needed to ensure their physical and emotional well-being.
Pediatricians
Pediatricians play an important role in the treatment of the medical, mental and emotional needs of children from birth to adulthood according to Ohio State University Medical Center. Pediatricians are trained to recognize and treat childhood diseases, infections, genetic defects and dysfunctions. They generally work with other specialists to treat some conditions, such as behavioral or mental disorders. According to the Texas Pediatric Society, 2,800 pediatricians and 600 medical students work in the state of Texas. This roughly equates to one licensed pediatrician for every 2,300 Texas children.
State-Sponsored Programs
Children of low-income families may qualify for the Texas CHIP program. The program provides state-sponsored insurance to cover the medical care of about 451,000 Texas children. Parents select from a network of medical care providers. The program covers checkups, vaccines, prescriptions, medical supplies, hospital visits, medical and diagnostic tests, dental visits, vision screenings and glasses.
Laws and Reforms
Federal laws and reforms will make it easier for parents to secure medical care for their children. Tax credits will help approximately 293,000 small businesses provide insurance coverage to employees and their families. Insurance reforms beginning Sept. 23, 2010, will prevent insurance companies from practices that previously left many Texas children uninsured. For example, insurance companies will no longer be allowed to place lifetime limits on coverage or to drop covered individuals if they become sick. They will not be able to drop children or deny coverage due to pre-existing conditions. Additionally, parents will be able to keep a child on their employer-sponsored insured plans until the child turns 26. Federal funds totaling $493 million will help provide insurance coverage to children and other Texas residents with pre-existing conditions.
Resources
A number of online sources are available to parents to find health care for their children in Texas. The Texas Department of State Health Services provides online databases for local health authorities, public health services and health service regions on their web site (see Resources).
Member Comments