Medicaid and CHIP are Essential for Tackling Health Disparities in Children

Despite notable advancements in children’s health care over the last two decades, children of color continue to experience a range of health disparities when compared with white children. Over the last two decades, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) have played a critical role in providing a broad range of services to children in low-income families, from basic screenings and medical and dental services, eyeglasses and hearing aids, to language interpretation, transportation, and chronic disease management services. Working together, these programs have cut the numbers of uninsured children in half, with the greatest improvement in coverage rates for children of color.