Authors

  1. Section Editor(s): Pfeifer, Gail M. MA, RN

Article Content

Medical specialists more often deny treatment to children with public insurance. Researchers posing as parents phoned 273 specialty clinics (covering nine specialties in all) in the Chicago area twice each to set up appointments. During one call they said they had private insurance and during the other call claimed to be insured by Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which in Illinois are combined. The specialty clinics refused appointments to 66% of Medicaid-CHIP children but to only 11% of privately insured children. And when clinics did accept Medicaid-CHIP children, patients waited an average of 42 days to be seen, compared with 20 days among those with private insurance. The results are reported in the June 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.