Bivariate Profit Model

As of 2008, there are approximately 73.9 million children living in the United States. Of these children more that 5.5 million have some form of mental or physical disability. In addition, 77 percent of uninsured children come from low-income families (CoverTheUninsured.org, 2008). However, Missouri’s population of uninsured children fares much better at almost half the national average or 7.2 percent (Missouri Foundation for Health, 2004). More than 8 million children in America are uninsured. That means 1 out of every 10 does not have any form of health coverage. Racial and ethnic disparities among those uninsured children are dramatic. Most recent data has found that one in 13 White children is uninsured compared to: one in five American Indian children, one in six Latino children, one in nine African American children, one in nine Asian/Pacific Islander children. (Children’s Defense Fund, 2010)

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 49 million Americans without healthcare insurance and more than 10 million are non-U.S. citizens (http://www.census.gov). Because many people are uninsured and those that do have insurance pay high deductibles, Americans often dismiss the need for doctor’s visits for minor problems or annual physicals. As a result, health problems that can be detected at an early stage or prevented altogether become major illnesses. Individuals with disabilities hold one of the biggest weaknesses in the healthcare system because they cannot often obtain affordable health coverage.

As the overall U.S. population experienced increases in unmet need and delayed care between 2003 and 2007, children were no exception. Low-income children encountered the greatest increase in unmet needs among all children and access to healthcare declined more for people in fair or poor health than for healthier people.

Though the American healthcare system has made big steps towards providing affordable healthcare for everyone, there remains a growing population of people who fall through the system’s cracks. These people are the medically underserved. They are typically the victims of unfortunate life circumstances that has left them without health insurance, or with insurance that provides inadequate coverage. The underserved also includes those who have trouble accessing healthcare for any reason. Anyone with illnesses or disabilities that require assistance beyond their coverage, or people who live in remote areas where healthcare services are sparse fall under this title. The term also does not exclude those who have sufficient insurance and resources, but struggle to understand and navigate our increasingly complex system of healthcare.

Within the United States some populations groups face greater challenges then the general public with being able to access needed health care services in a timely fashion. These populations are at a greater risk for poor physical, psychological, and social health. The correct term would be underserved populations or medically disadvantaged. They are at a disadvantaged for many reason such as socioeconomic status, health, and geographic conditions. Within these groups are the racial and ethnic minorities, uninsured children, women, rural area residents, mentally ill, chronic illness and the disabled. These groups experience greater barriers in access to care, financing of care, and cultural acceptance. Addressing these

A key factor affecting access to care is economic inequality. Many racial/ethnic groups are considered to be of low socioeconomic status in the United States. When one has to worry about food and housing, health is not considered a priority. Lack of health insurance is a huge problem that many people face. The inequalities in income means less money can be put towards doctor’s visits and medications. Research done by Shi, LeBrun, Zhu, and Tsai (2011) shows

Because of the low income from African American are uninsuranced it makes it possible for them to quality for the Medicaid expansion (Medicaid and Medicare 2015). There are a lot of black that are insured by Medicaid while there are some who are adults. The important of African American children having medical insurance such as Medicaid or CHIP. (Medicaid and Medicare 2015). Many children come from families who income is at or under the poverty level (Children n.d.). Due to the fact that these children comes from a family who income makes them eligible to receive Medicaid will make it hard for them to receive necessary services. Children who have Medicaid are entitle to certain medical services such as early,

About 11.2 million children representing 15 percent of all children in the United States have special health care needs, such as autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, depression, or anxiety (Data Research Center for Child and Adolescent Health, 2009/10). These children often require specialized services and therapies to live a healthy life, such as nursing care to live safely at home, specialized medical equipment, or regular therapy to address physical, behavioral, or developmental illnesses and conditions, which most private insurance plans don’t

All across the United States, it has been found that low income families are faced with extreme disparities in both health care, and their health care outcomes, when paralleled with their financially stable counterparts. While a number of contributing factors have led to such disparities, the latest income trends from across the nation, in addition to both the recession and high rates of unemployment, have profoundly challenged the aptitude for those living with a low-income to access health insurance, obtain quality care, and attain an overall healthy lifestyle.

(2010) health care coverage is strongly related to better health outcomes for children when it becomes affordable and help people use care appropriately. Health care coverage helps consumer gain continuity of care, preventive and screening services, mental health care, prescription drugs, and other services. Vulnerable populations are at a higher risk of declined health outcomes when they are without any type of health care coverage. Being insured can also enhance economic and social well-being through decreasing use of hospital services, preventing developmental problems in children, decreasing costs of public programs and services and increasing workforce productivity.

The purpose of this paper is to define autism, define Medicaid, and the role that Medicaid plays in regards to coverage of necessary therapy treatments for autistic children in the state of Florida. The advantages and disadvantages of Medicaid will be discussed as well. This topic is of interest to me because I work with this population on a daily basis as an occupational therapy assistant. It is important to be aware of this program and how it affects the autistic population because 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with autism (Chen, Peñagarikano, Belgard, Swarup & Geschwind, 2015). The Medicaid coverage for autistic children is great, although coverage varies from state to state and has a

In a further 1935 study it was found that families whose income dropped from comfortable to poor suffered over 45 percent higher amounts of disability illness as compared to those who had no income drop. Those who dropped from confortable to moderate showed a 10 percent higher disabling illness rate than the comfortable group that had experienced no drop in income. The group that had dropped from moderate to poor showed a 17 percent higher illness' rate than those who were in moderate circumstances throughout the 4 years.5

The United States is world renowned for having the best health care if not the most accessible. Citizens have at their disposal a plethora of hospitals, physicians, and therapists to improve their well-being. Statistical data was taken back in 2010 under the Central Texas Region and studied health care coverage and income in regards to the community. The data displayed in the surveys heavily suggest that income/ health in general have a high correlation. The issue that arose with the given data imply that those who are on the lower end of the income spectrum subsequently have no health care coverage and poorer health than those with higher income. In any case with high correlation there are a number of factors influencing the statistical evidence, and in this case sociological barriers are present in regards of inequality and health care.

While analyzing the article by Parish et. al (2008) the reader could tell that having a child with a disability can cause financial hardships effecting the family’s meals, housing, and telephone services. As the research suggests 28% of children with disabilities are below the national poverty level (Parish et. al, 2008). The research would suggest the biggest barrier for families with a child with a disability would be money. Therefore parents may not be able to pay for services that could benefit their child.

Children in the United States are also suffering because of the lack of universal health care coverage. While there is coverage for children living at or below the poverty level, there is no coverage available for those children whose parents make too much money to qualify for the low-income programs and too little money to be able to afford health insurance. “These gaps in health insurance coverage may lead to delayed or unmet health care needs among children” (Kim & Viner-Brown, 2007). As a result, these children are less likely to be taken to the doctor for treatment of chronic illnesses like “asthma” or “recurrent ear infections” (Hoffman & Paradise, 2008). It boggles the mind to know that “uninsured newborns, even though they had more severe